


Between The Land And The Sea

by ColourAndCity



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bittersweet, Black Magic Being Seen As "Bad", Blindness, Captivity, Curses, Drowning, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Isolation, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Magic Users, Marooned, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of undiagnosed illness, Merpeople, Platonic Relationships, Romantic Soulmates, Shipwrecks, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Witch Curses, abuse of magic, black magic, flesh curses, freak shows, lost at sea, the tags are spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 13:53:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 111,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColourAndCity/pseuds/ColourAndCity
Summary: Having survived a traumatic experience that nearly cost him his life, Hongjoong worked tirelessly for nearly a decade until he finally became captain of his own trade ship. With his best friend as his first mate, a loyal crew and his lifelong dream finally within his grasp, almost nothing could hold him back!...Except the constant night terrors and his crippling fear of the open sea and what lies beneath the surface.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 228
Kudos: 458





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always welcome on any of the chapters no matter when you might stumble upon this story! There's no such thing as being late, you found this fic precisely when you were meant to.  
> Happy reading!

Darkness.

Icy cold. Wet. Panic.

A strong, heavy force was dragging Hongjoong downwards as he wildly thrashed in the turbulent open waters trying desperately to keep his head above water.

He couldn't give up. He needed to survive. It couldn't end like this.

But he was tiring by the second.

His surroundings blurred in and out of focus as he aggressively fought against the powerful waves, coughing and sputtering each time he was overcome and momentarily dunked under the surface.

No light was cast above from the new moon and the large trade ships to either side of him were masked by the darkness, the only light coming from the cannon fire from a rogue ship off in the distance.

“Hongjoong!” A woman's voice cried in the distance, shrill with terror.

Hongjoong gasped but couldn't find enough breath to respond.

Each time the force of the waves dragged him under it took more and more energy to fight back to the surface.

There was a terrifying series of explosions from the cannons and a deafening shattering and splintering of wood from the nearby ship. Before long the ship to his left was engulfed in flames as Hongjoong was dragged farther and farther away by the strong currents. He desperately tried to cling to any of the debris to stay afloat but the icy waters were taking a hold of him and the waves would toss him loose and drag him back under again. All he could do was fight to try and stay alive for as long as he could while everything on the surface around him burned into the sea. He could hear the screams and cries of the crew members as the trade ships were decimated.

After witnessing so much carnage and destruction and after fighting for so long, his small body had finally reached its limit and his muscles slowly started to cease their function. Eventually he had stopped fighting all together, his soaked clothes weighing him down and finally dragging him under when the waves swelled once more.

Down.

Farther and farther below the surface.

The orange light from the burning ships becoming a distant glow above.

He knew there was no coming back from this.

_I'm so sorry. Just hold on a bit longer._

As more cannon fire flashed above, a dark shadow emerged from the sea in front of him. With every cannon flash the dark figure appeared closer and closer until he felt its cold arms wrap around him in a crushing embrace.

His mind was playing tricks on him. It had to be. Hongjoong tried to fight the darkness but the ocean was closing in around him and he was quickly losing consciousness.

He tried desperately to breathe but couldn't, his lungs filling with stinging cold sea water.

This really was the end...

_Open your eyes..._

“Hongjoong!” A young man's voice frantically called out to him.

Everything suddenly came crashing back into focus with the force of a hurricane.

Hongjoong quickly sat bolt upright in bed with a horrified gasp. His forehead was damp with sweat, his chest heaving and his breathing erratic. He shakily grasped at the blankets around him and tried to get his bearings again.

“You had the dream again, didn't you?” Wooyoung, Hongjoong's first mate said in a concerned tone. He was standing over Hongjoong's bed, gently giving his back a reassuring rub. “There, there, it's okay. Just breathe. You're safe.”

Hongjoong gave a bit of a cough and nodded as he clutched his chest tightly, doubling over and closing his eyes, trying to calm himself down, knowing that it wasn't real. He was safe.

It wasn't real.

At least... not this time.


	2. Chapter 2

10 years ago Hongjoong lost everything.

During a routine trade run off the coast of the Northern Islands, Hongjoong's father's small fleet of trade ships were marked by the local authorities as pirate vessels and mercilessly attacked in open, international waters. Everything about the attack went against the trade codes of the Northern Islands as well as the general code of the sea but the authorities were spiteful and arrogant and had thrown the codes to the wind.

The whole ordeal started when the main trade ship was abrasively seized and boarded by the local authorities. While the trade fleet was extremely small, having only three ships under their flag, the authorities had surrounded them with nearly a dozen ships, canons on the ready and fixated on their small target. Hongjoong's father tried desperately to deescalate the situation, providing all the proper paperwork and permits and even offered to negotiate with the corrupt officials, offering them any bribe they wanted just to let them pass unharmed.

Unfortunately when the authorities realized they had mistaken mere trade ships for pirates in an unsanctioned siege, they knew they would have to cover their tracks and leave no evidence or witnesses behind. The two other ships in the fleet were quickly boarded and seized as well. The authorities quickly raided the cabins, destroying any and all paperwork for the ships.

And then the slaughter started.

Not a single person was to be spared at the hands of the corrupt officials. Fights quickly broke out on deck as the unarmed crew desperately tried to defend themselves.

In the chaos of the scuffle, Hongjoong had been knocked overboard. Hongjoong had never been a strong swimmer but ending up in the sea was his one saving grace in actually being able to survive as the authorities decimated the crews and burnt all three ships to embers.

There were no other survivors.

In mere hours, Hongjoong had lost his entire family as well as their legacy and almost lost his own life in the process.

Even 10 years later, he was still not entirely sure how he actually survived as he only could remember the terrifying sensation of drowning before waking up scared and alone on the sandy coast of deserted island.

It was two days on the island before Hongjoong was finally rescued by a passing fishing boat.

***

Despite all odds, over the past decade Hongjoong had worked tirelessly in becoming the captain of his own trade ship to carry on his family's legacy. He often spent the majority of the year at sea and had earned himself quite the reputation in both the positive and negative sense. Some called him a pirate king. He preferred to see himself as a simple merchant of the seas but he was never afraid to fight for the people and against the corrupt authorities who governed them.

Hongjoong was truly living the life he had always dreamed of and he promised himself that he would live every moment with determination and passion but there was still one thing constantly holding him back: his crippling fear of the open seas. He had become terrified of the one place where he was required to spend the majority of his days.

Hongjoong could never spend too much time out on the deck of the ship unless he was entirely preoccupied with ship duties as if he were to stare out over the open waters for too long his breathing would becoming erratic, his heart would start to beat out of his chest and he would be gripped in the clutches of a severe panic attack.

It took three years before he could even step foot on a ship again let alone have the strength and willpower to govern an entire crew. But he was not going to let that stop him. His condition slowly improved over the years and he had become more and more active on deck but whenever they encountered rough waters he would immediately seclude himself in his cabin or in the lower storage holds of the ship, making excuse after excuse as to why he had to stay below deck. Occasionally crew members would grow suspicious of his odd behaviour but the small handful of crew members who he had confided in about his condition would often protect him and cover his duties where needed until things calmed down again and he was eternally grateful to them.

An unfortunate side effect that had developed was that whenever Hongjoong came under a great amount of stress while out at sea his mind would continuously replay the terrifying scene from that night 10 years ago, often resulting in horrendous night terrors. He would go days, sometimes weeks without proper sleep, much to the disdain of his first mate Wooyoung, the one crew member who had known Hongjoong before the attack and whose family had taken him in afterwards.

The most frustrating part of all this was that Hongjoong always woke up from the dream before he could recall how he was saved. Occasionally he would get a small memory fragment here or there of a dark-haired stranger asking if he was alright or him waking up on the sandy coastline of that island but he could never fully remember how he got there.

“Do you want me to get Yeosang?” Wooyoung asked calmly.

Hongjoong aggressively shook his head. “No, it's fine. This will pass in a few minutes.”

Wooyoung cautiously watched as Hongjoong slowly pulled himself back together and his violent shaking lessened slightly as his muscles relaxed.

“Maybe we should find a nearby port and dock for a bit.” Wooyoung suggested having sat down beside Hongjoong on his small bed.

Hongjoong had partially zoned out, his mind focused on the vivid dream while his body attempted to calm down. “Huh, sorry, what did you say?”

“We should make port.” Wooyoung repeated, giving Hongjoong's shoulder a light squeeze. “Let you rest for a bit. I've noticed that the dreams have become more and more frequent recently...”

“You're probably right.” Hongjoong said with a sigh, lazily rubbing his forehead with his shaking hand. “I'll talk to Jongho in the morning to plot a new course to... _somewhere_. The crew could probably use a break as well.”

“Will you be okay for the rest of the night?” Wooyoung asked cautiously as he went to stand back up.

Hongjoong nodded.

“Yeah, just need to get my head back in the right place. Thanks.” He muttered. “Sorry for waking you.”

Wooyoung gave a small sigh in acknowledgement and headed back over to his cot, flopping face down on the thin bedding. He was asleep within minutes. It took much longer for Hongjoong to fall asleep as he kept hyper-focusing on the dream but eventually he too drifted off to sleep.

***

As the sun began to rise and the first few rays of light shone through the porthole of the small cabin, Hongjoong was the first to wake. He ran his fingers through his shaggy, unkempt hair a couple of times while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His head was throbbing slightly from the extremely restless sleep he had gotten and even though he had told Wooyoung otherwise, he knew he should probably pay Yeosang, their on-board medic a visit after he had discussed plotting a new course with Jongho.

He groggily got up, pulling on his heavy boots and a long wool coat as a shiver ran through his body. Quietly he made his way out of the room so as not to wake Wooyoung who was still deep asleep. He headed down the short, dark hallway to the small room where all the maps and navigational equipment was located. He was not at all surprised to find Jongho, the youngest member of their crew and their ace navigator fast asleep while draped over a large map he had spread across the table, a pencil still clutched in one hand and a compass in the other.

Hongjoong curiously wandered over to see what Jongho had been working on and saw that he had been scribbling some notes on the map with regards to some newly established trade routes and open port cities. He closely hovered over Jongho trying to make out where exactly they were on the map. Straining a little too far, he accidentally bumped Jongho's leg causing Jongho to wake with a startle. Jongho, unlike most people when woken up, immediately became extremely aggressive as a defense mechanism. Before Hongjoong even had time to react, Jongho had grabbed onto Hongjoong's arm and shirt collar and had aggressively flipped him onto the large wooden table.

The wind had been knocked out of Hongjoong as he landed hard on his back and all he could muster was a weak wheeze in exasperation and surprise while staring unblinking at the ceiling. Jongho immediately realized what he had done and let go of Hongjoong, jumping back in a panic.

“Hongjoong?!” He wailed. “I mean, _captain ,_ I am so sorry. I didn't mean to!”

He quickly tried to right Hongjoong as Hongjoong let out a long groan.

“No, no it was my fault for waking you.” Hongjoong said with a sigh while sliding off the edge of the table and giving his shoulder a rub to stave off the pain. “I know better than to startle you when you're sleeping. And here I am, the fool.”

“I am so, so sorry! I'm really trying to be less... like this.” Jongho said falling to his knees in almost a grovel.

“I'm sure Mingi enjoys the challenge of trying to wake you without being thrown across the room each morning.” Hongjoong said with a laugh.

“That's partially the reason why I slept here. He locked me out of the cabin... again.” Jongho said as he ducked his head in embarrassment, his face turning red.

Hongjoong let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and pressing his temple as he did so. “I'll have a talk with him later. We have more pressing matters at foot. I need you to plot a new course for us.”

Jongho quickly perked up and clambered to his feet as Hongjoong turned back to face the table, flattening out the map that he had nearly torn in half while being slammed into the table.

“Wooyoung said we should find somewhere to make port.” Hongjoong said while looking over the now crinkled map.

Jongho and Hongjoong discussed the various clear trade routes within proximity to them for nearly an hour before they decide to make port at a small island city that was about a two-day sail away. The city was not unfamiliar to them as they had often docked there in the past but it had been a couple of years since they had last been back.

Hongjoong was quick to go and inform the rest of the crew that they would be setting sail to the port city. Many of them were happy to hear that they'd finally be able to stay on land for a little bit. Hongjoong didn't reveal the exact reason as to why they suddenly needed to make port. Most everyone just assumed it was to resupply the ship as they had been at sea for well over two months at that point and the stores were starting to run low and the crew were starting to get more and more restless. In fact, the majority of the crew did not even know about Hongjoong's sleep condition as he felt it would make him appear weak as their leader, only a select few crew members actually knew. One of them being Yeosang.

Hongjoong gave a light knock on Yeosang's cabin door.

“Come in.” A voice called quietly from the other side.

Hongjoong quietly opened the door and closed it behind him as he entered the room. Yeosang's cabin also served as the small infirmary of the ship and while Yeosang's bed was tucked in one corner, the remainder of the cabin was filled with numerous tables and shelves piled high with various books, plants, and dozens upon dozens of jars filled with ominous looking contents.

“I didn't wake you, did I?” Hongjoong asked as he saw that Yeosang was still in bed.

Yeosang slowly sat up and ruffled his hair so that his wavy bangs fell in a way to cover the small purple birthmarks by his left eye as he clumsily reached for his large circular glasses.

“It's fine.” Yeosang said with a smile and frivolous wave to brush it off. “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to let you know we will be making port in two days time.” Hongjoong said coming and sitting down on a chair at the end of his bed.

“The dream returned again?” Yeosang noted in a tired voice without even missing a beat.

“Yeah, Wooyoung suggested it'd best to spend some time back on land.”

“He's right.” Yeosang said with a sigh. “I also need to stock up on some things when we do make port anyways so it'll be of benefit to both of us.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“So, uh, why did you really come here?” Yeosang asked, looking over Hongjoong.

“My head is killing me.” Hongjoong grumbled, lightly pressing on his temple.

“You're probably dehydrated again, let alone exhausted.” Yeosang said as slowly got up out of bed and motioned for Hongjoong to come closer.

Yeosang took Hongjoong's wrist in his hand, pushing up the heavy coat sleeve out of the way with his other hand. He quickly placed three fingers across Hongjoong's wrist and momentarily closed his eyes, his hand shaking slightly in the process.

“As I suspected. Let me grab something for you for the time being.” He headed over to one of the large walls of books and medical supplies he had stored in his cabin.

Yeosang searched through a couple drawers before pulling out a small vial of beige-looking powder and gave it a shake to inspect the contents.

“Here.” He said tossing the vial to Hongjoong who fumbled and nearly dropped it. “Dissolve some of that in some warm water and take it twice daily until we dock. It'll help with the headaches and replenish the nutrients you're lacking.”

“Thank you.” Hongjoong said as he looked curiously at the powder in the vial, giving it a small shake.

Yeosang just gave him a warm smile before ushering Hongjoong out of the room so that he could start his work for the day.

***

Unfortunately for Hongjoong, the next two nights were increasingly worse as the dream returned again, but more vivid and more terrifying each time. Neither Hongjoong or Wooyoung were getting much sleep by the time the ship finally made port.

The afternoon that they docked, Hongjoong and Wooyoung quickly made the rounds on the ship to make sure everything was in place and that Yunho, the boatswain had everything he needed including the proper lists of what required restocking over the next 10 days while they were on land.

Hongjoong let the rest of the crew go about their business, many of them nearly sprinting off the ship in excitement as soon as the gangway had dropped. They were lucky in the effect that the port master at this particular city was a close acquaintance and let them dock with the rest of the ships. For a hefty fee, of course.

A couple crew members, including Mingi the ship's carpenter had elected to stay on board while they were docked in order to make necessary repairs as time was always of the essence when they actually had access to a dry dock and not the shores of some deserted island.

Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Yeosang casually made their way off the ship with their travel packs after the majority of the others had already left. Yeosang broke away from them almost immediately and agreed to meet them at the inn later as he was anxious to head straight to the market to try and pick up the herbs and various other medical ingredients he was in search for.

As Hongjoong and Wooyoung walked down the long boardwalk adjacent to the docks Hongjoong let out a long sigh.

“It feels sort of weird, doesn't it?” Hongjoong asked, taking in a deep breath and smelling the familiar yet distant urban smell.

“Hmm?” Wooyoung replied only half paying attention due to sleep deprivation.

“Being on land I mean. It's been so long.” He stopped, turning to look back at Wooyoung who nearly walked right into him.

“Yeah, I guess.” Wooyoung said in a distracted tone. “Maybe now I can finally get a full night's rest?”

Hongjoong gave him a bit of a playful shove. “Don't worry, I will cover the cost of accommodations here on land so you can finally stop complaining about me keeping you up all night.”

“Really?” Wooyoung replied in disbelief.

“Yeah, for both our sanity.”

Hongjoong and Wooyoung walked through the small port city until they reached one of the more secluded inns that was located on the edge of the city, away from the bustling core and closer to the surrounding mountainside. It was a small, three-storey wood structure that looked a little rundown but to the weary crew, it felt like home. Hongjoong ended up buying out the remainder of the rooms at the inn for the crew members who had elected to stay on land with them.

After throwing their travel packs into their own small bedrooms, Hongjoong and Wooyoung went down to the tavern on the ground floor of the inn to eat, drink, and wait for the rest of the crew to arrive. One by one they all rolled in, picked up their room keys, some staying for awhile for a quick drink or a bite to eat before heading up to their rooms to get some well needed rest.

As the sun started to set, Wooyoung was startled when one of the tavern maids managed to light all the candles in the place with a snap of her fingers.

“Hongjoong did you see that!” Wooyoung whispered in a concerned tone, leaning across the table. “She must be a magic user!”

Hongjoong gave a bit of a laugh. “You know as well as I that this port city is known for their high magical population.”

“I know, I know but we don't really see them out and about flaunting their magic that often. And I have to admit... it's hard to really trust a lot of magic users...” Wooyoung said quietly. “You know I don't have the best history with them. And I have no idea what half of them are even capable of...”

“Yes, but you also _know_ Yeosang is a magic user...” Hongjoong said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah but he doesn't really count!” Wooyoung retorted with an eye roll. “He's a healer. It's not like Yeosang has _actual_ powers.”

“What don't I have?” Yeosang interjected with perfect timing as he strolled into the tavern.

He headed straight over and dropped his large bag which was already brimming with various herbs on the table top in front of them.

“I was just saying that... uh... that you're not really ....a, uh, magic user?” Wooyoung said even more quietly than before. “Because you, um... don't exactly have... powers?”

Wooyoung's voice had gone tiny and he almost cowered away from Yeosang as if he expected him to lash out at him. Yeosang's expression was completely void of emotion as a single chunk of wavy hair fell in his face and he casually brushed it to the side. Wooyoung carefully scooted over on the long bench he was sitting on.

“Well, I mean, you're not entirely wrong.” Yeosang sighed as he dropped down on the bench beside Wooyoung. “My powers are so minuscule and underdeveloped that I don't even have to register them. The perk of this delightful curse.” Yeosang said dryly with a fake smile, tapping the side of his brow where his birthmark was.

“Ah, I'm sorry Yeosang!” Wooyoung blurted out in embarrassment knowing he was encroaching on a touchy subject. “You know I didn't mean it like that I—”

“It's fine.” Yeosang replied calmly. “But just remember, I could easily poison you in your sleep without leaving a trace.”

Wooyoung took a loud gulp of his beer and nearly choked. Hongjoong's eyes went wide in concern.

“I'm joking, I'm joking!” Yeosang said with a hearty laugh that he partially hid behind his hand. “What kind of medic would I be if I was poisoning my patients?”

“Anyways...” Hongjoong interjected. “There's absolutely nothing wrong with magic users. They're the same as us, just with different talents.”

“I guess.” Wooyoung moped, splaying his upper body across the table.

“Here, next round of food is on me.” Yeosang said as he attempted to flag over the tavern maid. “Um, miss! Uh, ex-excuse me!”

Yeosang quickly recoiled his hand that he had been using to try and get her attention after she had turned her back on them. He anxiously ran his hand through his hair instead.

“It's amazing how quickly you lose your confidence as soon as other humans are involved.” Wooyoung snorted due to Yeosang's sudden timidness.

Yeosang gave him a cold glare as Hongjoong was able to flag down the tavern maid instead. Yeosang proceeded to order an obscene amount of roast chicken for them to eat. He only allowed Wooyoung to have a share after he had thoroughly tormented him over the previous comments about his timid nature.

It was quite late when the three of them finally decided to turn in for the night.

***

That night Hongjoong and Wooyoung got the best sleep they had gotten in ages. Although to Hongjoong it felt somewhat unnatural being alone so in the middle of the night he ended up gathering all of his pillows and bedding and clumsily sneaked over to Wooyoung's room. He threw down all the heavy blankets and pillows onto the floor at the foot of his bed and curled up to sleep, passing out almost immediately.

Wooyoung was quite startled in the morning to find Hongjoong asleep at his feet and let out a yelp in surprise, accidentally waking him up in the process. Hongjoong groggily rubbed his eyes and pushed himself up into a half sitting position on the floor, looking around in confusion as to what has caused the noise.

“Hongjoong?! What are you doing here?!” Wooyoung yelled, one hand on his chest trying to calm himself down after the shock of seeing Hongjoong body lying on the floor.

“Ugh sorry.” Hongjoong replied sleepily. “It just felt so weird being alone after always being in cramped quarters together. I hope you don't mind?”

Wooyoung let out a long sigh.

“No, it's fine... just warn me next time... or maybe book rooms with multiple beds so you don't have to sleep on the floor.”

“Always the smart one,” Hongjoong said with a laugh.

“I swear that's the only reason you keep me around sometimes.” Wooyoung said somewhat sarcastically.

Hongjoong headed back to his room, blankets in tow and went to get ready for the day. He had agreed to meetup with Wooyoung later on so they could scour the local market for some odd jobs while they were on land to make a bit of extra money.

After arriving at the large central market, they wandered the stalls for what seemed like hours but came up with very few possible jobs. That is, until they reached as darker and less-inviting part of the market.

“Do you think you'd really want to be dealing with these types of people?” Wooyoung whispered while giving a concerned look around them as they walked deeper into the more sinister part of the market.

“We need any job we can get,” Hongjoong whispered back. “I bet these people are just in need of our services as anyone else in the market.”

Hongjoong continued on with a quick stride as if he knew exactly where he was going. He turned a corner and suddenly came to a dead stop, Wooyoung nearly running into his back as he did so.

“I can't believe it.” Hongjoong said quietly.

“What?” Wooyoung said with a hint of annoyance.

“It's still here!” Hongjoong said excitedly.

Wooyoung gave him a raised eyebrow as he quickly ran over to a small stall at the end of the alley. The stall itself was very unassuming and appeared to be selling talismans and charms. No doubt run by a magic user. Hongjoong excitedly greeted the stall owner.

“Ah, Hongjoong. It has been quite some time.” The stall owner said quietly as he stood to greet him with a tired smile.

“It's good seeing you again Eden.” Hongjoong said while beaming.

“You two know each other?” Wooyoung said dryly walking over to the two of them.

“Yes!” Hongjoong replied, turning back to him. “Eden used to work for my parents...”

“I've known Hongjoong since he was very young.” Eden said giving Wooyoung a look up and down. “And who might you be?”

Wooyoung gave a bit of a huff in protest at how forward this man was being with him.

“This is my first mate, Wooyoung.” Hoongjoong said introducing him. “His uncle was the one who took me in after... uh, everything.”

“Ah the _nephew_.” Eden replied casually. “I should have guessed based on your rather cold disposition that you were from that branch of the Jung family tree. You two must be very close.”

“Cold disposi—!?”  
  
“Yes, Wooyoung is my closest friend. I don't know what I could do without him.” Hongjoong interjected as he pushed a heated Wooyoung behind him to stop him from starting anything.

“So what has brought you back to the isle?” Eden asked, sitting back down behind his table and taking a long drag of the pipe he had been holding in an inquisitive manner.

“We had been out at sea for a couple of months and Wooyoung suggested we make port for a bit to restock the ship. Figured we might as well dock somewhere somewhat familiar. By any chance do you have any odd jobs we could take on while we are here?”

“Hmm...” Eden said pensively stroking his chin. “Actually I might have a job or two for you. There were a couple of men here just yesterday looking for voyage out of the country, I believe they said they were trying to get to the Northern Islands? Either way, I think they might be a beneficial addition to your crew as well.”

“We don't need anymore crew, thanks. We're fine as-is.” Wooyoung said curtly, crossing his arms across his chest. “Besides, why can't they just take any of the passenger ships like any other normal person?”

“There is probably a very good reason they are seeking alternative means out of the country.” Hongjoong said quickly shutting him down. “You know as well as I that everyone has different circumstances and we are here to help as many as we can.”

“I guess you're right.” Wooyoung said with a reluctant sigh.

“Besides, if Eden recommends the job, I trust them.” Hongjoong added. “Eden, contact them and tell them we'd be interested in helping. We will be back here tomorrow at the same time to discuss.”

Eden nodded and noted something in a small book he kept on the table.

“Thanks again!” Hongjoong said as he turned to leave. “Come on Wooyoung, let's get you some food so you're less cranky.”

“I'm not cranky.” Wooyoung grumbled, giving Eden one last eye before turning to leave behind Hongjoong.

When they were far enough out of earshot Wooyoung, pulled Hongjoong over into a side alley.

“What?!” Hongjoong protested angrily as Wooyoung shoved him up against a wall.

“That man is no doubt a witch! You really trust him!?” Wooyoung said, somewhat angrily.

“I know. And yes. I do trust him. With my life.” Hongjoong replied with a cold tone. “What's your problem?”

“Something just doesn't sit well with me, that's all. I'm concerned.”

“Well you don't need to be. Just because he's a magic user doesn't mean you immediately need to be suspicious of him.” Hongjoong said, shoving him out of the way and heading back into the open market.

“Hong, wait!” Wooyoung called as he chased after him.

***

Hongjoong returned to Eden's market stall early the next day in hopes of securing the transport job for them. Wooyoung had protested profusely so Hongjoong had sneaked out while Wooyoung was momentarily preoccupied.

As he approached the dark alley where the stall was located he could see a couple of cloaked figures in front of Eden's stall talking between themselves, Eden currently not being present. Hongjoong slowed his pace and carefully approached. He could hear them conversing between each other and he picked up on their unique accents.

“Those accents of yours, they definitely aren't native to these parts.” Hongjoong said casually as he approached. “Are you magic users as well—”

Before Hongjoong had even taken two steps closer, the shorter of the two cloaked figures had already reacted and had pinned Hongjoong back against the stone wall of the narrow alley, a knife drawn at his throat. It all happened so quickly Hongjoong didn't even know what was happening and slowly raised his arms in surrender.

“You should really be more careful about outing magic users in public, that is unless you have some sort of death wish.” The taller figure spoke calmly.

“Please, I mean you no harm...” Hongjoong started to say.

“Hongjoong?” Wooyoung's voice called as he approached the alley at a light jog.

As soon as he rounded the corner, with a single swift movement, the cloaked man who was holding Hongjoong at knife point, had kicked Wooyoung back against the opposite alley wall and was pinning him in place with a foot on his throat while still keeping the knife effortlessly to Hongjoong's throat.

“Captain!” Wooyoung croaked out.

“...Captain?” The taller cloaked individual repeated with a hint of concern. “San, leave them be.” He motioned between them with his hand.

Immediately San removed the knife from Hongjoong's throat, unpinned Wooyoung and quickly backed away to stand beside the other cloaked figure.

“What the hell?!” Wooyoung yelled, about to draw his own knife from his belt before Hongjoong stopped him.

“I'm guessing you were the ones Eden said were looking for safe passage to the Northern Islands.”

“Yes, that is correct.” The man said removing the hood of his cloak. “My name is Seonghwa, this is my companion San.”


	3. Chapter 3

“I'm guessing you were the ones Eden said were looking for safe passage to the Northern Islands.”

“Yes, that is correct.” The man said, removing the hood of his cloak. “My name is Seonghwa and this is my companion San. My sincerest apologies on this misunderstanding. We have been slightly on edge lately, San especially so, and sometimes his reflexes are a little too fast.”

“You're not seriously thinking of taking on these people?” Wooyoung hissed at Hongjoong.

“A job's a job.” Hongjoong snapped back.

At that moment Eden returned to his stall, looking rather tired and wrapped in several long robes.

“Ah good, you've met.” He said casually having not just witnessed the previous altercation.

“Do you actually trust these people?” Wooyoung asked, motioning towards Seonghwa and San and addressing Eden directly for the first time.

“I have been dealing with Seonghwa for many years, yes.” Eden said, half-preoccupied scribbling things down in his notebook.

“Yes, but what about this other one, Sam?” Wooyoung quipped.

“It's _San_.” San replied back with a tone of annoyance, eyes glaring at Wooyoung from under his hood, fingers resting casually on the series of knives on his belt.

“Why are you suddenly putting your trust in me when yesterday you said yourself that you did not even trust me?” Eden replied dryly while stopping what he was doing to look up at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung's face burned red in embarrassment and he stepped back behind Hongjoong, sending another glare towards San.

“So would you really be willing to take us to the Northern Islands?” Seonghwa inquired. 

“I believe we can be of service to you.” Hongjoong replied with a smile. “What say we move these negotiations to somewhere less public?”

Seonghwa nodded in agreement. 

“Eden, would you mind tabling our negotiations?” Seonghwa asked in a kind tone.

Eden gave a bit of a sigh while looking between them and the items laid out on his table. 

“I guess I can close shop for an hour or two.” He said somewhat reluctantly. “I will meet you at the tavern down the street in a few minutes while I close up.”

Seonghwa thanked him profusely and the four of them headed to the tavern to wait, securing a somewhat secluded table in the back. 

They sat there mostly in silence as they waited, Hongjoong having ordered a round of drinks for everyone and anxiously nursing his own drink in front of him. Neither Seonghwa or San touched their drinks.

After a small remark from Seonghwa about manners, San finally removed the hood of his cloak revealing a large silver streak in the front of his hair. Wooyoung couldn't take his eyes off the unusual colour but knew better than to say anything, lest he get reamed out by Hongjoong. San also shot him a warning glare and he quickly focused his eyes on his drink instead.

It wasn't long at all before Eden joined them. Before he sat down at the head of the table, he ripped a small page out of his notebook that had several large scribbles on it.

“Secrecy charm.” He muttered. “It'll help keep prying ears away and allow you to discuss matters in private.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said with a kind glance at Eden.

Meanwhile, Eden picked up the large glass of beer left in front of him and downed it in nearly a single sitting.

“Shall we start?” Eden said, wiping his chin on his sleeve while slamming the glass back on the table.

“So,” Seonghwa began. “I know it is quite a long journey but I am willing to compensate you handsomely if you can help us get to the Northern Islands. Additionally we can offer our services on board and help earn our keep during the journey.”

“We are quite familiar with the route as we have made it several times over the past few years. Pending good sailing conditions and minimal port time, the trip should take a little over two months.” Hongjoong replied. “Our price would be fairly high though, one thousand gold.”

“I'll double it to two thousand if we can leave immediately.” Seonghwa replied, almost cutting Hongjoong off.

“Nope, no way, we are here for a reason, remember?” Wooyoung said, turning to Hongjoong and giving him a pleading look.

Hongjoong gave a sigh. “The earliest we can leave is 10 days from now as our crew is on health leave and we are currently restocking the stores and having repairs done to the ship.”

“Two thousand to leave in exactly 10 days then.” Seonghwa pressed.

Wooyoung seemed awestruck at the sheer amount of gold this man was willing to offer them despite not even being able to meet his exact terms.

“So what services exactly can you provide us if you were to be part of our crew?” Wooyoung quipped. “You did say you could help earn your keep while on board.”

Seonghwa turned to Wooyoung. “I am glad you asked. San here is very skilled with knives and is also an excellent negotiator in multiple languages. I, myself, am what is known as a Tempestarii. I can help grant you safe passage on the seas by controlling the weather and keeping storms at bay.”

“So a storm-raising sea-witch and a multi-lingual assassin.” Wooyoung said, squinting his eyes and looking between the two of them.

“I can assure you that San has never had to resort to actually killing anyone.” Seonghwa said with a scoff.

Wooyoung shot a wary look at Hongjoong.

“Stop.” Hongjoong hissed at Wooyoung. “If Seonghwa can control the weather... that might help with the _you know_.”

“Alright witch, show us your powers then.” Wooyoung said with a frown, folding his arms.

“So arrogant for someone with no discernible magical abilities.” Eden muttered with a roll of his eyes from the head of the table.

“If you desire...” Seonghwa said with an air of cockiness.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” San whispered in a concerned tone.

Seonghwa just nodded confidently. “I will just give them a taste. It will be fine.”

“Eden, there are no ships currently coming in to dock, are there?” Seonghwa quickly asked.

“Not for another few hours, they're still fairly far out.”

“Good, we wouldn't want to endanger anyone. Now, if you would direct your eyes to the window, I will show you a small morsel of what I am capable of.”

Seonghwa closed his eyes and slowly raised his left hand. The door to the tavern suddenly blew open and a gust of cold air whipped through the small tavern before one of the barmaids was able to rush over and close it again. Meanwhile outside the skies had started to become extremely dark and menacing looking. Within a minute the sky had opened up and completely drenched the immediate area. Seonghwa opened his eyes to regard his work and gave a small smile. Then with an almost casual wave of his hand the skies cleared almost as quickly as they had darkened and the sun was brightly shining again. 

“Satisfied?” Seonghwa scoffed while Wooyoung sat there in awe.

“That was truly amazing!” Hongjoong said excitedly. “You can really just control the weather like that!”

Seonghwa gave a nod.

“He has become quite renowned around here for granting safe passage to ships making port here.” Eden interjected. “His powers are quite spectacular.”

“I can see that.” Hongjoong said.

“So do we have a deal?” Seonghwa asked.

“Deal.” Hoongjoong said extending his right hand to shake.

Seonghwa hesitated slightly and slowly brought his right hand out from under his cloak, revealing his entire hand and forearm were covered in blood stained bandages. He shakily took Hongjoong's hand and shook on the deal.

“Your arm isn't looking too good...” Hongjoong noted.

“It's none of your business.” San said, cutting him off and leaning across the table.

“San please,” Seonghwa said, carefully placing a hand on San's shoulder and guiding him back into his seat.

“We will have a medic on board if you need it to be looked at.” Hongjoong offered. “He is also an apprentice healer so his skills would be hard to rival elsewhere.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa replied with a fake smile trying not to make his condition out as any worse than it really was.

“If you don't mind me asking, why do you need to seek alternative means of transport to the Northern Islands?” Hongjoong asked.

Seonghwa and San exchanged looks briefly and Hongjoong picked up on San becoming visibly more anxious, sinking lower into his seat and keeping his head low.

“Despite having lived peacefully on this island for several years, recently, due to some very unfortunate circumstances, we have been targeted and threatened by one of the local witch covens.” Seonghwa said solemnly. “I fear that we are no longer safe if we were to remain here and we are merely trying to seek safe passage to our former homeland.”

“Is that why your arm is the way it is?” Wooyoung said quietly. “Because of the witches?”

“Curses of the flesh can be a terrible thing.” Seonghwa replied vaguely while flexing his fingers and looking down at his injured hand.

San was becoming more and more anxious the more Seonghwa talked about their current situation but remained silent the entire time. Hongjoong could see him fiddling nervously with something around his neck whenever Seonghwa spoke.

“I have been helping them where I can,” Eden added. “But the witches have become very persistent in their hunt and my protective charms have been proving to not be as effective as we had hoped.”

“While we hate to leave the home that we have made here... it appears to be our only option at this point before the situation becomes anymore... dire.” Seonghwa said with a sigh.

“Well if you feel like you are not longer safe here, we can at least help provide accommodations until we can depart.” Hongjoong said.

“We can? Where?” Wooyoung interjected.

“They can have my room at the inn.” Hongjoong said matter-of-factly, insinuating that he would be taking up permanent residence in Wooyoung's room instead.

“Well if things are all taken care of,” Eden started to say, “Seonghwa, San I can arrange to help have your possessions transported to the inn within the next day. But otherwise I must be getting back as I have a shipment coming in soon that I must be present for.”

“Yes, thank you. You are all too kind.” Seonghwa said to both Eden and Hongjoong.

With that, Eden got up from the table, ripping up the small paper he had placed down as he did so. The room became noticeably louder afterwards.

“We should be taking our leave as well.” Seonghwa said. “I thank you once again for accepting our request. We will meet you at the inn tomorrow evening and I will have your payment as well.”

“Great, we will see you then!” Hongjoong replied with a smile.

Seonghwa got up from the table, San trailing him like a silent shadow as they quickly exited the tavern.

“Sometimes Hongjoong, I swear your heart is bigger than your brain.” Wooyoung said, taking a large swig of the beer he had omitted to touch during the entire discussion.

“Like I said, a job's a job.” Hongjoong replied. “And it seems like they really need our help.”

“Here's hoping for a safe journey.” Wooyoung said with raised eyebrows, clinking his glass against Hongjoong's before downing the rest of the drink.

***

The next night after the sun had set, Hongjoong met Eden in front of the inn. He was joined by Seonghwa and San who had only one small trunk of possessions split between the two of them. Hongjoong greeted them warmly but he noticed that they seemed even more on edge than when they had met the day before. Eden departed and Hongjoong quickly ushered them inside and upstairs to the small room he had been previously using.

“I apologize that it's not much, but it's all I can really offer until we leave.” Hongjoong said as he helped San bring the trunk up the stairs and into the room.

“It is more than enough.” Seonghwa replied with a weak smile. “You have already done so much for us, I don't know how I will be able to repay your kindness. Speaking of which,” Seonghwa pulled a large pouch out of his overcoat. “Two thousand, as agreed upon.”

Hongjoong took the pouch and carefully opened it, inspecting the contents, gold brimming to the top.

“Thank you for your prompt payment.” Hongjoong said. “We will be leaving port in 9 days. If you need anything at all, I will be staying across the hall...”

“Thank you once again.” Seonghwa said with a small nod as he and San disappeared into the small inn room.

For the next week the crew barely saw any signs of Seonghwa or San as they had mostly holed themselves up in their room. Occasionally San would emerge to gather food to bring back but many of the crew had never even laid eyes upon Seonghwa since they stepped foot in the inn. Rumours quickly started to spread among the crew about mysterious ghost-like passengers they would be taking on.

***

It was very late into the evening before Yeosang realized just how late it was. Yeosang took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. It was the night before they were set to depart and he had been working on cataloguing everything he had picked up and prepared while they were on shore and he had completely lost track of time. Stretching his arms above his head, he gave his head a bit of a roll to get the painful crick out of his neck. Since his mind was still racing from all the information he decided he would head down to the public baths below the inn to relax a little before settling in for the night.

Yeosang gathered up a few of his things and headed down to the baths. Even though the majority of the inn patrons were the crew members he was used to seeing on a daily basis, he was relieved to see the baths appeared completely empty.

He scrubbed himself down and showered off before walking over to the large bath. Testing the warm water temperature with his foot, he quickly submerged himself up to his shoulders in the refreshing waters. The warmth felt amazing on his sore muscles.

No sooner had Yeosang entered the bath than San came bursting up through the surface of the water with a gasp, aggressively slicking his wet hair back in the process. Yeosang's heart nearly leapt out of his chest and he instinctively clung to the side of the bath having been startled so intensely. His chest was heaving and he tried to regain his composure again while San casually waded over to the far end of the bath.

“I—I apologize.” Yeosang gasped out. “I didn't know anyone else was here. You gave me such a fright!”

“Sorry... I was just... gathering my thoughts.” San mumbled in response, eyes trained intensely on him.

“Interesting way to go about doing so.” Yeosang said with a bit of a laugh, trying to calm himself down.

“The water is calming.” He replied in a quiet voice.

“I can't argue with you there.” Yeosang let out a long sigh, sinking deeper into the water and leaning his head against the edge of the bath.

After a couple minutes his heart rate had reached a normal pace again. Yeosang closed his eyes and ran his wet fingers through his hair as he tried to relax again. San's eyes became fixated on the birthmarks by Yeosang's eye that had become visible.

“I can feel you staring.” Yeosang muttered.

“Sorry!” San sputtered out, sinking down in the water until it was up to his nose.

“So are you one of the two who requested passage to the Northern Islands?” Yeosang asked, raising his head again to look over at San.

San looked away, seeming a bit hesitant to answer.

“My name is Yeosang. I am the medic on board the ship.”

San seemed to ease up ever so slightly. “San.” He replied quietly while briefly lifting his head out of the water to respond, only to sink bank down to his nose again.

The two of them spent the rest of the time soaking in silence before Yeosang decided he should turn in for the night.

“You staying here?” Yeosang asked, turning back to San alone in the bath.

San just nodded.

“What an interesting individual.” Yeosang muttered to himself and he walked back up to his room.

It would be a long, restless night for many of the crew members as they all physically and mentally prepared themselves for their next voyage to the Northern Islands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had meant to post this before leaving for Korea but I ran out of time. Whoops. Formatting might be a little wonky since I did the majority of the editing on my 14 hr flight.

The sun had barely risen when Yunho made his way throughout the inn, knocking on doors to get the crew up and ready as they were scheduled to set sail later that afternoon and there was still much to be done.

Yunho came upon the second to last room and gave a loud knock on the door while shuffling through a series of papers in his hands. There was the faint sound of movement from behind the closed door before it opened a crack, San's face peering out from the other side and squinting slightly from the hall light streaming in.

"Oh. You're not Hongjoong." Yunho said in mild surprise at the unfamiliar face while looking quickly between his papers and the room number.

"I'm here!" Hongjoong called as he approached from down the hall. "Sorry for not informing you of the room change. I've been bunking with Wooyoung across the hall the past few nights to accommodate our, uh, special guests."

"Ahhhh…" Yunho said as everything became clear in his mind. "So you must be either Seonghwa or San." Yunho said, turning back to the door to face San with a warm smile. "My name is Yunho and I'm the ship's boatswain."

Yunho extended his hand for a handshake but San just coldly glanced down and then back up at Yunho, shifting his gaze over to Hongjoong momentarily. Yunho slowly retracted his hand with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"Anyways, uh mister…???" Yunho started to say as he nervously flipped through his papers once more to double check something.

"San."

"Mister San," Yunho continued. "I'm taking a tally of any personal effects that will need to be transported to the ship. We have a carriage leaving in one hour."

By this time Seonghwa had appeared behind San and had opened the door wider to greet Yunho properly. His condition did not look well as he was deathly pale with large, dark circles under his eyes but he still had a kind, albeit exhausted, aura about him.

"Ah yes, we only have one small trunk." Seonghwa said in a tired voice. "And I apologize for San's cold demeanor."

"Ah you must be Mister Seonghwa." Yunho said with a smile.

"Indeed that is I. Just Seonghwa is fine. I will see that San has our effects transported to the awaiting carriage well before we depart." Seonghwa said with a weak smile.

"Great!" Yunho replied, turning back to Hongjoong. "Captain, I have some things I want to quickly go over with you before we depart."

"Sure, come on in," Hongjoong ushered Yunho into his room but not before momentarily catching a better glance at Seonghwa's condition as he and San disappeared behind the closed door again. 

Hongjoong’s normally content disposition was dampened slightly with concern.

"Wooyoung is already down at the ship confirming everything with Mingi so I just came back to finish some last minute things," Hongjoong idly explained as he went to pack up the rest of his clothes.

"Hongjoong..." Yunho said in almost a whisper. "Who exactly are those people?"

Hongjoong stopped what he was doing and dropped his shoulders, letting out a long sigh.

"I know, I know." Hongjoong said in a concerned tone. "A lot of the crew have been asking questions… and unfortunately I can’t exactly answer those questions... but they needed safe passage to the Northern Islands and paid handsomely so…"

"We do need the money…" Yunho noted, half talking to himself.

"They should be beneficial for the journey as well." Hongjoong continued.

"How so?" Yunho questioned.

"Seonghwa has the ability to control the weather, it's quite remarkable actually."

"He also looks like he's about to drop dead at any moment." Yunho mumbled.

"So you noticed as well." Hongjoong sighed again. "Apparently it's the side effect of some sort of flesh curse… and it appears to have gotten worse over the past week. I will have Yeosang see to him as soon as we set sail."

"Good thinking." Yunho noted.

Yunho continued to go over the rest of the business before they both decided to head to the ship. Hongjoong was partially distracted the entire time as he couldn’t get the image of the sickly-looking Seonghwa out of his mind, wondering just what kind of curse had caused him to look that close to death.

***

It was nearly time to depart and the last final items were being loaded onto the ship. Seonghwa and San were two of the last to board and it appeared that Seonghwa's condition had progressed to the point where he could barely walk unaided as he was leaning heavily on San as they walked up the gangway. His arm was draped over San’s shoulders and San had a tight grip around his waist as they walked. Every few steps Seonghwa almost seemed to stumble, his breathing heavy as he was hit with bouts of dizziness. Several crew members stopped what they were doing to look at them as they passed by, San giving them deathly glares as they did so. 

San carefully deposited Seonghwa in their assigned cabin and was quickly tasked with work above deck as Yunho came in search of someone to help as the crew would be a little short-staffed until they reached their next port. As it turned out, San was quite nimble in scaling masts and helped to hasten the unfurling of the sails. Many of the crew were amazed by his agility and he quickly earned their respect with his hard work in preparing the ship to set sail. Meanwhile, Seonghwa stayed below deck resting.

After the ship had left the port and had been sailing for about an hour, Seonghwa had slowly made his way from his cabin to the main deck to see off their departure. He saw Hongjoong rushing across the deck and called out to him. Hongjoong quickly turned and headed over to him.

"Ah, Seonghwa. Good to see you up and about." Hongjoong said with a smile. “I trust the accommodations are to your liking?”

"Yes, thank you. The least I could do to thank you once more for taking us is provide a bit of favourable weather for departure." Seonghwa said with a weak smile. "How about a nice strong tailwind?"

"Are... you sure?" Hongjoong said in a concerned voice, noting how frail Seonghwa looked in the sunlight.

"It is no problem at all." Seonghwa said with a small laugh as he raised his uninjured hand and closed his eyes to focus.

Within moments, the sails billowed in the wind and the ship slowly started to pick up speed.

"Wow, that is truly amazing!" Hongjoong exclaimed looking between the sails as he witnessed Seonghwa's powers for a second time.

Hongjoong turned to face Seonghwa just as Seonghwa began to waver in place. Hongjoong acted quickly and caught Seonghwa before he crumpled to the ground.

"Seonghwa, are you okay?" Hongjoong asked as he helped keep Seonghwa on his feet.

"I am terribly sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just... I suddenly was overcome with such exhaustion..." Seonghwa said weakly.

"Here, let's get you back to your cabin." Hongjoong said reassuringly as he started leading him to his quarters.

Hongjoong guided Seonghwa to his cabin and carefully set him down on his bed 

"Your arm, those bandages _really_ need to be replaced.” Hongjoong said in a concerned tone.

Seonghwa gave a sigh and looked down at the discoloured cloth that was wrapped from his fingers to his elbow. He fidgeted with the bandages slightly, guilt sinking in knowing Hongjoong was right but his pride was taking over.

“It's fine.” He said quietly.

“I'm no medical professional but anything kept in that sort of condition is bound to get infection. And your condition seems ...not great.”

“I said it's fine.” Seonghwa replied with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

“I will call Yeosang, he is the medic on board. I'm sure he can have you fixed up in no time.”

“It is really not necess—”

“Nonsense.” Hongjoong said cutting him off while he hurried out of the room.

Seonghwa let out a long sigh in defeat and ran his uninjured fingers through his hair. He knew very well that Hongjoong was right but having always just relied on himself, accepting help from those other than San was a strange experience for him.

As he waited for the medic he stood up and began pacing the small room, half out of boredom, half out of nerves. It wasn't long before another wave of dizziness washed over him and he paused briefly in his pacing and heavily slumped back down on his bed in an attempt to stave off the spinning feeling.

There was a timid knock on the door.

“Uh, Seonghwa?” An unfamiliar voice called.

“Yes, come in.” Seonghwa replied.

In walked Yeosang, his hair wavy and unkempt and his large glasses sat slightly askew on his face. His clothes were also a couple sizes too large giving him an almost childish look about him.

“Are you... Yeosang?” Seonghwa asked as he closed the door behind him while lugging over a large medical bag over to the small table located in the cabin.

“Oh uh, yes, I am.” He blurted out. “I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. Hongjoong said that there was an issue with your arm? And that you weren't feeling well? Do you mind if I take a look?”

Seonghwa gave another sigh in defeat. “Yes, I would appreciate it.”

Yeosang beckoned Seonghwa to come over and sit on one of the chairs he had pulled out from under the small table. Slowly Seonghwa got to his feet, still feeling the effects of the dizziness earlier, and went and sat down in front of Yeosang, who was now frantically lighting a series of candles to improve the dim lighting in the small cabin.

“Hongjoong mentioned that you were a magic user, correct?” Yeosang asked as he busily worked.

“...Yes. I am a Tempestarii.”

“But you do not possess any self-healing abilities?”

“I... not currently, no.”

“You don't or you did... and you no longer do?”

“The latter.” Seonghwa said as he nervously fiddled with a purple crystal pendant around his neck.

Yeosang paused and turned to look at Seonghwa, taking notice of the pendant and the large crack that ran along its core.

"Ah, I see you and San wear the same pendant." Yeosang stated lightly.

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I ran into San last night, he was wearing it in the baths." Yeosang said offhandedly.

"Ah yes. You are very perceptive.” Seonghwa said calmly.

"All part of the job." Yeosang said with a smile trying to lighten the mood.

Yeosang took one look at the bandages wrapped around Seonghwa's arm and gave an involuntary grimace.

“When was the last time you changed these?”

Seonghwa hesitated in thought for a moment. “A couple weeks.”

Yeosang gave a bit of a tick with his head. “Oh. I would honestly be surprised if infection hasn't already set in.”

“I know, I know I should really be more diligent but... I... just had a lot going on.”

“Here.” Yeosang said calmly while holding out his hand for Seonghwa to place his arm.

When Seonghwa did so, Yeosang was quick to carefully untie the top knot, his hands shaking as he did so.

“Are you... nervous? Are you sure you're okay to do this?” Seonghwa asked somewhat concerned at the extent Yeosang's hands were shaking.

“I have an unfortunate hand tremor condition. It is fine. I can work around it.”

“If you say so.” Seonghwa said half under his breath.

Yeosang went to work carefully unwrapping the long length of cloth bandages. Slowly it started to reveal a series of small crescent moon shaped gashes along Seonghwa's arm. Dozens and dozens of gashes continued down his arm, covering his hand and fingers as well, varying in size from a couple millimeters to a centimeter or two in size. And they were definitely infected.

"A flesh curse." Yeosang hissed.

Yeosang had seen dozens and dozens of curse aftereffects in the years he had been studying healing medicine but nothing like this. He was increasingly curious as to what exactly had caused such a strange pattern on Seonghwa's skin.

“I've never seen something like this before.” Yeosang said, partially to himself in disbelief.

“You could say, thanks to that wonderful curse I now suffer from a very rare skin condition that gets worse whenever I use my powers.” Seonghwa responded calmly.

“Interesting.” Yeosang muttered as he finished unwrapping the last of the bloody bandages.

“Do you mind if I document this?” Yeosang asked as he leaned back to pull out a notebook and a series of pencils out of his medical bag.

Seonghwa just nodded and Yeosang quickly, and shakily got to sketching out the markings on Seonghwa’s arm, noting the odd shape and placement of the gashes.

Yeosang then reached over to the table to grab some cotton, wetting it with some disinfectant and slowly went to cleaning and tending to the dozens and dozens of small cuts. Never once did Seonghwa flinch as Yeosang shakily treated him, applying various ointments on the infected wounds. It took close to an hour to fully treat his arm but eventually it was good to go again and wrapped in fresh new cloth bandages. 

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said quietly, giving his fingers a flex in the new bandages.

“We are not done quiet yet.” Yeosang informed him as he threw away all the dirty bandages. “I need to take you vitals. Hongjoong mentioned your fainting spell and I'm afraid your health has been affected by more than just the infection.”

“Oh uh I'm not sure—” Seonghwa started to say but Yeosang already had the back of one hand firmly pressed against Seonghwa's forehead with one pressed against his own, checking Seonghwa's temperature.

“Hmm.” Yeosang hummed to himself. “It seems like you are running a fever. To be expected.”

Yeosang pulled over the notebook and started scribbling some more notes. He continued his evaluation of Seonghwa's condition and while he didn't say much, Seonghwa became more and more anxious by the sheer amount he was writing and the odd look he would give when something didn't quite add up for him. After several minutes he declared he was finished and quickly closed his notebook.

“Well it seems like a fever has set in but apart from your arm, you otherwise appear mostly healthy.” He said, “I would suggest trying to sleep it off for now as the use of your powers would most likely cause another fainting spell. A cold compress will help get the fever under control and I beg you to not over exert yourself for a couple days while the infection in your arm dies down. In the meantime I will have some herbal tea prepared for you to help boost your immune system.”

Seonghwa gave a nod. “Thank you.”

Yeosang quickly started to pack up all his items. Vials and jars clanking loudly as he almost frantically packed them away in his medical bag. In the blink of an eye he was gone from the room and Seonghwa was alone again.

Seonghwa slowly got to his feet and walked over to his small bed, where he flopped down and attempted to get some sleep or at least wait for San to return from his duties on deck.

Meanwhile in another part of the ship, Yeosang was frantically trying to find Hongjoong.

“Hey! Wooyoung!” Yeosang called when he spotted the first mate.

Wooyoung stopped in his tracks and turned to give him a bit of a nod.

“Have you seen Hongjoong? I need to speak with him.”

“Is something wrong?” Wooyoung asked dryly.

“Oh uh I... it's... uh, it's complicated.” Yeosang.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh no, yes I am completely fine. This does not concern me at all. Do not worry about me.” Yeosang said with a bit of panic in his voice and a nervous laugh.

“Well, the last time I saw him he was in the study.” Wooyoung said casually motioning behind him before continuing on to whatever he had previously set out to do.

Yeosang gave a quick nod in thanks and half-sprinted down the ship's hallway. He didn't even bother knocking but burst through the study door, taking Hongjoong by surprise, nearly dropping the book he was reading.

“Yeosang is everything okay?” He asked in a concerned tone.

Yeosang, half out of breath gave a shake of his head. “No, I mean yes but... there is something about those men you brought on board. Something off about them. I need to do some research but they are not... normal.”

“Yeosang, whatever are you talking about?” Hongjoong said with an air of mild confusion.

“I... well... I just need to do some research.” Yeosang stuttered out while putting down his bag and proceeding to search for the series of books he would need.

“Whatever you say.” Hongjoong said casually as he went back to reading his book, boots propped up on a table in front of him.

Yeosang frantically made his way over to the shelves of books. He was glad that Hongjoong was such an avid reader that he kept many books aboard the ship almost as if they had their own private reference library.

Hongjoong was trying to focus on the book in his hands but he kept catching Yeosang's frantic movements out of the corner of his eye and it would pull him out of his book and he could no longer concentrate. With a frustrated sigh he earmarked the page he was on and loudly slammed the book closed.

“Is there a particular book you are looking for?” Hongjoong said with a groan, getting to his feet, placing his hands on his hips and giving his back a bit of a crick.

“The one on deep sea creatures. The one with the black and orange cover.” Yeosang replied while running his fingers over the spines of the books and pulling certain selections in and out of the shelf.

“Try the shelf over there,” Hongjoong said as he motioned with his thumb behind him to a dusty shelf of books that looked like it was rarely touched.

“Oh thank you!” Yeosang breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly spotted the distinct spine of the book.

He pulled it from the shelf, along with 3 others, carefully dusting them off and spreading them across the long wooden table. Hongjoong was concerned with Yeosang's frantic condition, his hands shaking even more than normal as he quickly flipped through the pages, hopping between books and seemingly cross referencing half a dozen passages at the same time as well as the notes he had made during Seonghwa’s examination.

“I'll leave you to your research.” Hongjoong said as he turned to leave the room. “If you need anything just let me or Wooyoung know. I'll be in my cabin.”

Hongjoong quickly spun around and grabbed the book he had been previously reading before heading out of the study.

Yeosang ended up staying in the study until late at night, only pausing for a few minutes when Yunho popped in to bring him something to eat and drink after Hongjoong had instructed him to check on him.

Eventually Yeosang pieced everything together; the marks on Seonghwa's arm, his rather unique powers, unusual vitals, San's strange behaviour from the night before... it could only mean one thing.

Yeosang packed up the small book that included a chapter on mythical sea creatures and tucked it under his arm before knowing what he had to do. Hurrying out of the study, he headed towards the cabins in the back of the ship. But instead of heading to Hongjoong's cabin, he veered off his path and instead headed towards the cabin that Seonghwa and San were sharing.

He walked up to the door and prepared to knock but quickly stopped himself. He took a long, deep breath and briefly closed his eyes as if to attempt to calm himself down before he knocked loudly 3 times on the heavy wood door.

“Come in.” Seonghwa's voice could be heard from the other side.

Yeosang cautiously opened the heavy door and quickly closed it behind him after he entered the room. He glanced around to see both Seonghwa and San sitting on their respective beds, giving him a curious look.

“I was not expecting you two to be up this late... but I have, uh, something very important I need to discuss with you.” Yeosang tried to say as calmly as possible but his nervousness had already permeated the room.

“It's quite alright, we haven't been sleeping much lately.” Seonghwa said with a bit of a laugh. “What is it you need to discuss?”

Yeosang could see San slowly move, swinging his legs over the side of his bed, glaring at him. He nervously gripped the edge of the book tucked under his arm. Seonghwa's warm gaze travelled from Yeosang to the book and immediately turned cold.

“I... I know what you are.” Yeosang stuttered out.

San immediately went to make a move but Seonghwa quickly raised his hand to signal him to stop. San's eyes were burning a hole in Yeosang, his glare was so intense.

“And what exactly do you _think_ we are?” Seonghwa asked, trying to stay cordial but annoyance coming through in his tone.

At this point Yeosang felt like he was going to pass out from sheer anxiety alone.

“Mermen.” Yeosang blurted out.

Seonghwa let out a long hearty laugh, meanwhile San looked absolutely terrified.

“Are... you not?” Yeosang asked quietly, suddenly feeling embarrassment wash over him.

“You truly are a skilled medical professional.” Seonghwa said with a bit of a sigh. “To be able to pick up on such things just from a basic examination.”

“So are you saying that I'm right?”

Seonghwa took a long hard look at Yeosang as if he was digging deep into his subconscious.

“You haven't told Hongjoong or the others... You came to us first to inform us that you knew... why?” Seonghwa asked, getting to his feet and cautiously pacing around Yeosang.

“I can help you.” Yeosang replied, averting eye contact.

“Help?” San scoffed.

“Seonghwa's condition is not good.” Yeosang said coldly, making eye contact with San for the first time, who immediately backed down.

“Is this true?!” San asked, turning to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa just quietly nodded. “It seems like I overdid it a little and infection set in causing a bit of a fainting spell...”

“Seonghwa...” San said almost in a whisper while taking a couple steps towards Seonghwa. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't want you to worry.”

“I can help though.” Yeosang said calmly, interrupting their moment. They both turned to look at him. “Without my help the infection caused by the curse would have spread and Seonghwa would probably be dead within a week. But now that I know what you two are I am even better prepared to treat it as your bodies don't react to medications and healing the same way a human's would.”

“You truly are something special aren't you, Yeosang.” Seonghwa said with a raised eyebrow.

“I will help rid you of that flesh curse and make sure you are back to your old self in no time. In the meantime I swear I will keep your secret from the others on board.”

“How can we trust you though?” San asked coldly.

“Because if you couldn't trust me I would have already told the others and you would have already been thrown back in the ocean where you belong.”

San seemed to take offence to Yeosang's blunt statement but Seonghwa held him back again.

“I will prepare some medications and elixirs and will be back in the morning for some more in-depth examinations and to start your proper treatment.” Yeosang said calmly as he left the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

Yeosang could hear San bickering loudly behind the closed door and Seonghwa desperately trying to calm him down. His emotions finally overwhelmed him and he leaned heavily against the wall and crumpled down to the floor.

“I can't believe I just did that.” Yeosang muttered to himself.

He stayed put on the floor for several minutes before finally composing himself enough to head back to his own cabin. He made sure to securely lock the door to the cabin, just in case, and spent the remainder of the night working on a series of remedies while constantly mulling over the fact that he was the only one who knew there were mermen aboard the ship.

What the hell was he going to tell Hongjoong, let alone the others...


	5. Chapter 5

Yeosang had barely slept at all that night. ‘Slept’ would be an overstatement as it was more like he passed out briefly over a stack of medical documents before quickly shocking himself awake to continue working. He knew if he did not act quickly, Seonghwa's condition would eventually continue to worsen. At the same time, after boldly outing the two mermen the day before, he was mildly fearful that they may retaliate against him as merfolk were commonly thought to be very spiteful and vindictive creatures with a taste for tormenting humans. There also wasn’t a single sailor’s tale that did not end in death or ruin when it came to merfolk and the bad omens they brought with them. It was quite a daunting task agreeing to care for those from a species with such a sordid reputation. But he had sworn an oath during his medical training and he couldn’t just abandon them in a time of need.

The sun had not yet risen when Yeosang quietly made his way back to Seonghwa and San's cabin, his arms full of various possible remedies and his bag nearly overflowing with books, notes and other supplies and ingredients.

His heart was racing as he lightly knocked on the door.

Silence.

He knocked a little louder.

The sound of movement came from behind the door and Yeosang's heart leapt from his chest. Slowly the door creaked open and Yeosang was greeted by a rather weary and sleep-deprived looking San.

"You're back." San said coldly, eyeing the armful of vials, herbs and other trinkets Yeosang had in his possession.

"As I said I would be." Yeosang replied confidently.

"Seonghwa is still sleeping." San noted as he opened the door a little wider so that Yeosang could enter the room.

Yeosang calmly edged past him. As soon as Yeosang was fully within the cabin, without hesitation, San closed and locked the door behind him. Yeosang's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, not knowing what he might have just gotten himself into.

Yeosang looked over at Seonghwa, heavily asleep on his small bed, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, his breathing was somewhat erratic. He quickly placed his bag and all the other items he had been carrying down on the small table in the center of the room and went and knelt down beside Seonghwa's bed, placing one hand gently on his forehead.

"His fever has gotten worse. Damn." Yeosang cursed under his breath. “How on earth did it get so bad so quickly?”

Taking his pulse, he noted that it had also become much weaker. Yeosang was mildly confused as Seonghwa had appeared so much healthier just hours ago but all of a sudden he had regressed to an even more sickly visage. He looked back over his shoulder at San who was watching him intently, his arms crossed and his back pressed against the door as if to block any means of escape.

"When did his health begin to worsen?" Yeosang asked calmly.

"Not too long ago." San replied, averting eye contact. "I think he—no, never mind."

"What is it?" Yeosang inquired. "Please, the better understanding I have of all this, the better and faster I can treat him."

"It’s gonna sound crazy but… his condition changes with the phases of the moon." San muttered.

“What do you mean?” Yeosang furrowed his brows, shifting on his knees to better face San.

"He is weakest during the day but always seems to get a burst of energy when the moon is at its peak." San quietly explained. "I think… I think it might have something to do with these." He pulled out the purple crystal pendant he wore around his neck.

"What sort of magic do those pendants possess?"

"I… I'm not entirely sure." San said gripping tightly onto the necklace. "Only Seonghwa knows."

Yeosang let out a small frustrated sigh and turned back to Seonghwa.

"San, could you prepare me a cold compress? You, uh, know what that is, right?"

San nodded and quickly did as he was told as Yeosang went back to surveying Seonghwa's condition.

Seonghwa stirred in his sleep at the sensation of the cold cloth making contact with his burning skin. As he slowly awoke, his piercing gaze landed on Yeosang.

"Ah, Yeosang." He said weakly with a smile.

"I apologize for waking you." Yeosang replied quietly. "Here I thought your condition had greatly improved the last we spoke mere hours ago but it only looks like it has worsened tenfold."

Seonghwa deeply inhaled as he slowly and shakily pushed himself up against the headboard of the bed into a half-sitting position.

"I have a, uh, lot of questions I need to ask you." Yeosang started to say. "I mean, in order to be able to fully treat you…"

"As expected." Seonghwa sighed.

"If at any point, you get too exhausted we can stop. But please, don't hide anything from me. Both of you.” Yeosang said in almost a pleading tone, looking between San and Seonghwa. “Any and all secrets will be safe with me, you have my word."

Seonghwa nodded. San remained stoic against the door again, eyes only looking at the floor.

"First off, I have to say I never expected to run into a merman on land, let alone two of you."

"We are very rare indeed." Seonghwa said with a tired laugh.

"I've only ever come across a mermaid once before. Unfortunately that was while we were at sea and she tried to steal away one of our crew members. So there is a bit of unease among the crew when it comes to merfolk. It is probably best to keep your identities secret for as long as possible, for your own safety."

"Ah yes, I’ve heard of the terrible things our kind have done in the past. But I can assure you we have no ill intentions towards anyone on this ship. We know our kind are not exactly looked favorably upon by humans but we are merely trying to live our lives the best we can, out of the public eye."

“Is that why you hide what you are in human form?”

“It’s the same reason you hide those curse marks.” Seonghwa explained calmly as his eyes trailed up Yeosang’s face, resting on the marks beside his eye. “The less attention one draws to oneself, the less trouble they are likely to encounter.”

"I see you’re very perceptive as well.” Yeosang muttered, unintentionally running his fingers over the birthmarks. “So that leads to my next question, how exactly _are_ you able to live on land? As a human?"

Seonghwa reached up to his neck and pulled on the long gold chain attached to the purple crystal pendant he wore. He held it out in his hand.

"With these."

"Those pendants allow you to take on a human form?" Yeosang asked curiously.

Seonghwa nodded. "They were a gift from a sea witch, they harness the power of the moon to help us control shifting between forms much like how the moon controls the tides."

"Ah so that would explain why San said you tended to be stronger when the moon was at its peak."

Seonghwa looked over to San who had retreated from his post at the door and was now sitting on his bed, head hung low, fiddling with his own pendant.

"That is correct. The powers from the crystal often wax and wane the same as the moon does."

"I am assuming that when you were cursed, that is how your pendant sustained that large crack, possibly fracturing the magic within, making it more difficult to sustain a human form?" Yeosang continued.

"As far as I know, that would also be correct." Seonghwa sighed.

"So why not just head back to the sea?"

Seonghwa let out a huff. "If only it were that simple."

San looked up and gave Seonghwa a heartbroken look.

"Unfortunately, as our kind do not like us fraternizing with humans or taking to land so kindly, I was exiled and cannot return to the open sea. Hence why I sought refuge to return home by boat."

"San, is this also true for you?" Yeosang asked, turning to look back at him.

San flinched at the sudden mention of his name but vigorously shook his head "no."

"San can return to the sea whenever he desires…” Seonghwa sighed. “It is only I who cannot, unfortunately."

Yeosang could hear San exhale shakily, having been triggered by something Seonghwa had said. He knew there was probably more to the story that they weren't telling him but he wasn’t about to push it at this time.

“You said you could change forms like the tide?” Yeosang asked. “What did you mean by that?”

“Both San and I are capable of taking on a human form or a merman form at will.” Seonghwa explained. “We mostly stay in our human form out of necessity but we are required to shift back to our merman form within each moon cycle to stay healthy. Specifically, if I do not, my other powers weaken substantially and this body starts breaking down.”

“So with the curse,” Yeosang said deep in thought. “It greatly affects your ability to shift between forms?”

Seonghwa nodded. “Every time I shift to my merman form, it becomes much more difficult to shift back to my human form. I can no longer fully heal myself from the shift and my human body takes a great toll as you can see from the damage it did to my arm in my last attempt. Lately whenever I use my powers the wounds have also begun to reopen.”

“Hmm I think I might be able to come up with something to help you.” Yeosang muttered. “It won’t cure you by any means but it will at least help with your symptoms and get you back on your feet as we figure out a slightly more permanent treatment.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said with a warm smile.

“I’ve prepared a few things already and we will see how those work and if they don’t then we will just move on to the next.” Yeosang said as he turned back to his bag and started pulling out the various elixirs he had labelled.

“Since you’re from the sea I would also assume you get dehydrated very easily on land so we will also try and tackle those adverse effects as well. San, you could probably use some healing as well.”

San looked over at Yeosang with furrowed brows and a curious expression.

“Actually we should start with that.” Yeosang said as he shakily got to his feet. “I will go prepare some hot water and will return shortly.”

San was quick to get up and unlock the door for him as Yeosang headed out to the galley to grab some water. He was on his way back when he unexpectedly ran into Hongjoong.

“Yeosang!” Hongjoong called from down the hall as he jogged over to him.

Yeosang nearly jumped at the mention of his name, not expecting anyone else to be awake yet.

“Oh! Hongjoong! You’re up? Trouble sleeping again?” Yeosang asked nervously.

“No, no I’m up early by choice. I just have some things I need to go discuss with Yunho.” Hongjoong replied with a smile.

"Ah that’s good.” Yeosang commented with a hint of relief in his voice.

“Last night, you said there was something you needed to discuss with me? About our new passengers?” Hongjoong asked. “Did you figure out what it was? You said you needed to do more research?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Yeosang stuttered out, attempting to gather his thoughts. “It’s just that I uh, misdiagnosed Seonghwa and, uh, his flesh curse was sort of different from what I had originally thought? So his condition worsened quite a bit overnight. I’ve been working all morning on treating him but he will need plenty of rest in the coming days in order to properly heal. I was just grabbing some water as they both appeared to be a little dehydrated. But I’ve got things under control now.”

“Here my mind was wandering endlessly when you had asked for that book on deep sea creatures.” Hongjoong laughed, giving Yeosang a pat on the shoulder. “Well, thank you for looking after them. I will check in later, alright?”

“Haha alright.” Yeosang laughed nervously, his smile turning to a worried frown as soon as Hongjoong had passed and was out of view.

He knew he was going to have to work fast if he didn’t want Hongjoong to start becoming suspicious.

When Yeosang returned, Seonghwa was sitting on the side of the bed and San was sitting pressed up against him, tightly holding onto his uninjured hand, his entire attention focused on Seonghwa.

Yeosang poured two large glasses of hot water and slowly started dissolving various powders and liquids in them. After letting them sit for a minute he passed one to each Seonghwa and San, his hands shaking slightly as he did so.

San cautiously took a whiff of the steaming drink before taking a small sip. Meanwhile, Seonghwa nearly downed the entire drink in a single sitting, letting out a quenched gasp as he put the glass back down. San continued to nurse his drink for a couple minutes until Seonghwa urged him to finish it as Yeosang shuffled through his notes and consulted various sources while pulling out other ingredients for future use.

“Thank you.” San said quietly as he placed the empty glass down.

“Now, I need to re-treat that arm of yours.” Yeosang said, turning to Seonghwa and reaching to untie the bandages.

Yeosang inhaled sharply at the sight of Seonghwa’s arm when the gashes were revealed once more. They looked even worse off than before he had started treatment and they had appeared to have spread upwards from the original affected area and now covered part of Seonghwa’s upper arm as well.

“I’m going to clean the area and start fresh.” He stated, grabbing the large jug of hot water from behind him. “This will probably be a little uncomfortable.”

Yeosang gently but firmly took hold of Seonghwa’s bare arm and carefully pulled it towards him until it was fully extended. San had clung to Seonghwa’s other arm and was pressed tightly against him, watching Yeosang work. Yeosang poured hot water down the length of Seonghwa’s arm to rinse off the ointments from the day before. For the first time Seonghwa actually exhibited pain as he quickly ducked his head and let out a long hiss.

“Are you okay?” Yeosang asked.

“Yes, yes please continue.” Seonghwa said through gritted teeth.

Seonghwa had turned his head away from Yeosang as he made a second pass with the water. San had nuzzled against Seonghwa’s neck so that Seonghwa’s chin was resting on the top of his head. Seonghwa let out another small noise of distress and San clung even more tightly to him.

Seonghwa’s hand was shaking horribly, putting Yeosang’s tremors to shame. That is when Yeosang noticed small black scales slowly working their way up from under Seonghwa’s skin where the open wounds were located.

Yeosang’s eyes went wide. “A-are those scales? Are you shifting right now?!”

“Trying _very hard_ not to.” Seonghwa gritted out in discomfort.

Yeosang noticed a soft, pulsing glow coming from Seonghwa’s pendant. He reached out to touch it but as soon as his fingers made contact it gave him a nasty shock. Yeosang quickly pulled his hand away with a startled ‘ah!’

“Looks like our curses don’t exactly like one another.” Yeosang muttered. “Hmm... but that might actually be to our benefit.”

Yeosang had put down the jug of water and was rubbing his now tingling fingers. At the same time the pendant had gradually lost its glow and the small scales were slowly receding again.

“It stopped? Curious.” Yeosang noted.

Seonghwa was breathing heavily, slowly flexing his fingers as the scales disappeared. He had tightly closed his eyes in an attempt to center his focus on not shifting but relief was slowly setting in as the effects of the shift reversed themselves.

“I’m sorry.” Seonghwa breathed.

“No, no it’s—I think you might have just given me part of what I need to help counter the curse.”

Yeosang scrambled to prepare a new salve for Seonghwa’s arm. Once it was done, he carefully went to work applying the thick, dark grey salve down the entire length of Seonghwa’s arm from shoulder to fingertip. The herbal remedies in the salve provided the necessary relief from the stinging gashes left from the unsuccessful shift.

“I’m going to leave that to the air for a little bit before re-bandaging your arm.” Yeosang noted. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to do some experiments with your crystals.”

Seonghwa nodded.

“San, since you aren’t incapacitated right now, would you mind if I worked with you?”

San nervously looked between Yeosang and Seonghwa with a raised eyebrow as Seonghwa quietly urged him on.

“I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” San muttered reluctantly.

“Now, first off.” Yeosang began. “What happens if you were to remove the crystal?”

“If we are in our natural merman form we would be stuck permanently in that form unless the crystal was returned.” Seonghwa explained. “And we cannot exchange crystals. They work only for us on an individual basis as they are linked by blood magic.”

“I see.” Yeosang said, rubbing his chin in contemplation. “And what about if you were to remove them while in your human form?”

“I can’t say we have ever tried.” Seonghwa replied.

“San, would you mind?” Yeosang asked.

San’s eyes went wide in mild panic.

“Is it safe?” He asked, turning to face Seonghwa. “What if… what if I shift? What if—”

“We won’t know until we try.” Seonghwa said, cutting him off. “It might provide a better understanding as to how the magic in them actually works...”

San huffed in protest but if it could provide any insight to helping Seonghwa’s condition, he was willing to take the risk. He gave his neck an agitated crick and slowly peeled himself away from Seonghwa. He cautiously got to his feet and walked over to a spot on the floor where Yeosang directed him, quickly taking off his boots, just in case a full shift were to occur. San gave Seonghwa one more concerned look while taking a deep breath and slowly removed the long chain from around his neck. He hesitated momentarily waiting for something to happen while both Yeosang and Seonghwa watched intently.

“I guess nothing happens.” San scoffed as he passed the pendant over to Yeosang.

However, as soon as the pendant had left his hand, San’s eyes rolled back into his head and he immediately collapsed. Yeosang was quick to react, catching him at the last possible moment and cautiously lowering him to the floor of the cabin.

“San?” Yeosang called, giving San’s cheek a light pat.

But San was out cold.

Yeosang quickly took his vitals. He still had a pulse, it was weak but it was there and he was still breathing.

“Is he alright?” Seonghwa asked in a concerned tone.

“I think he is just unconscious.” Yeosang stated. “How long does it take for a shift to occur?”

“Usually instantaneously when the crystal is invoked.” Seonghwa explained. “Normally the crystal will emit a faint glow if a shift is about to occur but it does not appear to be reacting at all.”

Yeosang waited about a minute before carefully returning the dull pendant around San’s neck. No sooner had he done so than had San’s eyes flicked open and he sat up with a gasp, clutching his heaving chest.

“W-what happened?!” San blurted out, his voice filled with panic.

“You fainted.” Yeosang explained calmly.

San desperately made a grasp for the pendant around his neck and clutched it tightly in his hands as he calmed himself down.

“It appears, while you won’t shift if the pendant is removed, your human body cannot be sustained without a direct connection to the magic in the pendant.” Yeosang noted.

“So how exactly will that help Seonghwa?” San bit back.

“Unfortunately I don’t think it actually _will_ help him.”

San exhaled loudly through his nose in exasperation and flopped back down on the floor. He ran his hands through his hair as Yeosang paced back and forth within the small cabin trying to figure out the best path forward. Eventually Yeosang placed his attention back on Seonghwa and began bandaging his arm once more.

“I will need to do more research.” Yeosang stated in a tone of slight defeat.

“So what is Seonghwa supposed to do in the meantime then?” San retorted, finally picking himself up off the floor.

“Rest.” Yeosang replied calmly. “That’s all he really can do right now.”

San gave a huff as he did not seem satisfied by Yeosang’s response. Yeosang quickly picked up on his agitation.

“Curses are hard enough to deal with in humans let alone trying to deal with them in merfolk, a species I have never treated before. I am trying my best.”

“I am sure San does not mean to have any sort of animosity towards you.” Seonghwa said with a groan as he carefully adjusted his position on the bed so he could comfortably lay down once more. “I place my full trust in you, Yeosang.”

“Thank you.” Yeosang said quietly as he began packing up his bag again. “I will leave you alone for now, but I will be back later to check on how you’re doing, alright?”

Seonghwa nodded.

“Don't worry, I will watch over him.” San stated with a sigh as he went to pull a chair over to the side of the bed.

“No.” Seonghwa said quietly. “I think you should go with Yeosang.”

San momentarily looked like Seonghwa had attempted to mortally wound him with his words.

“We must earn our keep on this ship.” Seonghwa continued. “I will be fine by myself for a couple hours.”

Seonghwa took a hold of his pendant and gave a slight wince before making stern eye contact with San, who also took a hold of his. Several seconds passed before San let go with a small sigh.

“Understood.” He said defeatedly.

“San, why don’t you join me in the galley for some food?” Yeosang offered. “Get your strength up and then maybe we can find a job or two for you.”

San just quietly nodded.

Yeosang finished packing his bag, but decided to leave several vials and elixirs behind for any on-going treatment that may be needed. San gave Seonghwa one last forlorn look before reluctantly following Yeosang out of the cabin to the galley.

***

The entire time they ate San barely spoke but instead shoveled down food as if he hadn’t had a morsel to eat in weeks.

“So what exactly is your curse?” San finally asked bluntly.

Yeosang gave a bit of a laugh at how brash San was being.

“I was cursed to never be able to naturally succeed without great suffering.” Yeosang replied. “My family came from a line of extremely powerful and skilled healers but one day they were not able to save the daughter of a very powerful witch. In retaliation she cursed my mother’s unborn child. So I was born with these marks by my eye and very weak natural magical abilities making me essentially useless as a healer.”

San just nodded, his brows furrowed as he listened.

“Instead I went to medical school for seven years like any normal human in hopes of becoming a skilled medic. Of course due to the curse I developed this horrible hand tremor making me basically unhireable. Luckily I met Hongjoong and he looked past my downfalls and gave me a job aboard his ship.”

“Hongjoong really has a bleeding heart of gold, doesn’t he.” San scoffed sarcastically.

“I would die for him. Anyone on this ship would.” Yeosang replied as San rolled his eyes.

“Did I hear my name?” Hongjoong said slyly as he entered the galley.

“I was just explaining to San here how loyal everyone on this ship is to you.” Yeosang replied.

“Is that so?” Hongjoong said with a bit of a laugh. “I’m more thankful that everyone on this ship is willing to follow my crazy dream.”

“Making a living and a name for yourself as someone who looks out for those who cannot look out for themselves is hardly a crazy dream.” Yeosang replied with a smile as blush crept up on Hongjoong’s cheeks.

“Anyways, mind if I join you?” Hongjoong asked as he put some utensils down on the table.

Yeosang gestured for him to sit.

“Yeosang informed me of your condition.” Hongjoong said calmly, turning to San.

San’s eyes briefly went wide in fear, giving a panicked look at Yeosang.

“Exactly what did he tell you?” San inquired in a small, wary voice.

“He told me that Seonghwa’s curse had worsened and that he would be forced to rest the next few days as his physical condition was not good. And that the two of you were being treated for dehydration.”

San seemed momentarily relieved that Yeosang had not told him about anything else. 

“Yeah, I guess it’s worse than we thought.” San said between mouthfuls of food. “But Yeosang has been very thorough.”

“Are you still fit to do work aboard the ship?” Hongjoong asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine. Like Yeosang said I just was slightly dehydrated but I’m perfectly fine now. Seonghwa is sleeping so I have plenty of free time. What do you need me to do?” San replied, somewhat excited to prove his worth.

“Well we have had some issues with the rigging for the mainsail recently and from the abilities you exhibited the first day on the ship it seems you’re a pretty good climber.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it.” San said with a smile.

“Great, I will have Wooyoung come find you later and he’ll go over what needs to be done.”

San grimaced slightly at Wooyoung’s name but nodded in agreement.

***

Over the next two days, San really proved his worth on the ship and quickly became a vital member of the team on deck. Meanwhile, Yeosang made frequent visits to check on Seonghwa who was not getting any worse, but was still not getting any better. Hongjoong had also become quite concerned over the fact that Seonghwa health was still in decline, unintentionally putting additional pressure on Yeosang to try and put an end to the flesh curse.

It wasn’t until the third day that Yeosang finally came up with a last ditch plan. It was drastic but it was the only thing he could fathom working.

After pushing all the furniture aside in his small cabin, Yeosang had taken some chalk out of one of his drawers and had gone to work at drawing an intricate magic circle on the floor. It took hours or drawing and cross-referencing various symbols across half a dozen texts but when it was done he had San help bring Seonghwa to his quarters. 

Both Seonghwa and San were surprised by what they saw upon entering the room.

“You’re a magic user?” Seonghwa asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Did I not mention that previously?” Yeosang replied in a nonchalant tone. “Must have slipped my mind.” 

He carefully took Seonghwa’s hand and pulled him into the center of the circle. He noticed Seonghwa looked a little wary as to what Yeosang might do.

“Don’t worry, I’m a healer. But my powers are also extremely limited to that extent.” He explained. “That’s why I need a bit of a boost.” He motioned at the circle around them.

“It’s not often you see a healer who also dabbles in black magic.” San retorted.

“Yes well when a curse hinders your natural magic ability you have to find other ways to make due.” Yeosang replied coldly but with a warm smile.

“Is this even legal?” San muttered.

“We are in international waters so technically there is no governing force to tell me what is and is not legal. Additionally, aren’t curses also illegal?” Yeosang retorted calmly.

“I guess you have a point.” San mumbled while crossing his arms.

Yeosang quickly got to work explaining the process to Seonghwa.

“It’s just a simple energy transfer using some of my own curse to negate yours.” Yeosang explained. “Obviously it will not fully break your curse but it should stall the effects long enough for you to be able to heal yourself and it should slow it from progressing, for a little while at least.”

“A curse can negate another curse?” Seonghwa asked.

Yeosang nodded. “My particular curse is actually helpful in this extent as it does not permit things to reach their full potential so by transferring some of my energy to you, some of the effects of your curse will be negated as it will also not be able to reach its full potential.”

“It seems… risky.” Seonghwa said warily. “What about you? How will it affect you? Will you be afflicted by the flesh curse then?” 

“It’s a little risky but it’s the only option we have right now.” Yeosang said with a sigh. “I don’t know how much of the flesh curse will be transferred to me temporarily but I’m sure it won’t be anything I can’t handle.”

“Let the curse be transferred to me instead.” San interjected.

“No.” Seonghwa said sternly “Absolutely not.”

“Unfortunately the transfer only works as a two-way exchange. And is most effective between magic-users. I do not have the ability to transfer between a third.” Yeosang explained.

San just solemnly nodded and took a step back.

“San I will need you to leave the room during the incantation in order for this to be effective. Please just wait in the hall, slowly count to 200 and then return. That should be a safe amount of time.”

San nodded again and quickly did what he was told, closing the cabin door tightly behind him. He sat down on the far side of the narrow hall, bringing his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly as he began slowly counting.

Inside the room Yeosang knelt down in the middle of the circle with his back facing the door and beckoned Seonghwa to kneel down with him. He had Seonghwa unwrap his bandaged arm in front of him and took both of Seonghwa’s hands tightly in his.

“This should be over quickly.” Yeosang said with a smile and Seonghwa just nodded.

Yeosang began muttering a series of incantations under his breath in a language that Seonghwa did not understand. The magic circle around them began to glow softly, the intensity increasing the longer Yeosang incanted. Seonghwa let out a surprised gasp as a wave of energy raced through his veins and Yeosang’s grip tightened on his hands.

In the hallway, light briefly streamed from under the door to Yeosang’s cabin before quickly fading out again. San hit 200 and cautiously approached the door, opening it ever so slowly. When he peered inside Yeosang had his back facing him so he only really had a clear view of Seonghwa.

“Seonghwa, your arm!” San commented in an excited tone, noticing the wounds had almost all but disappeared.

Seonghwa, however, was leaning over Yeosang who was doubled over with his hands covering his face. When he looked up at San with a worried expression, San’s happiness immediately melted away.

“San, please go find help.” Seonghwa instructed calmly.

Yeosang was making soft, pained noises and when San peeked around to take a better look at him he noticed blood dripping from his hands. San’s eyes went wild and he quickly backed away towards the door.

“San, go!” Seonghwa barked as San scrambled backwards into the hall in a panic.

He had no idea who to get or where to go so he just sprinted down the hall in hopes of finding whoever he could. Running past the study he noticed someone inside and he quickly backtracked. It was Hongjoong.

“Hongjoong! Captain! Please! You must help!” Hongjoong blurted out, taking Hongjoong by surprise as he basically threw himself into the room. 

“What’s going on?” Hongjoong asked with a look of concern while putting down his book and quickly getting to his feet.

“It’s Yeosang. There’s so much blood.” San stammered out. “You need to follow me, right now.”

Without another word San turned back down the hallway with Hongjoong right on his heels. When they arrived back at Yeosang’s cabin Hongjoong immediately noticed the magic circle and the gravity of the situation sunk in for him as he let out several curses under his breath. He rushed over to Yeosang, carefully nudging Seonghwa to the side.

“Yeosang, it’s Hongjoong. What happened?” Hongjoong asked while kneeling down on the floor as close to Yeosang as possible, quickly noticing the small puddle of blood that was forming on the floor in front of him.

“Attempted an energy transfer.” Yeosang shakily muttered. “Took too much.”

“What does that mean?” Hongjoong asked.

“I think he took on too much of my flesh curse.” Seonghwa said quietly.

“Ahh my eyes.” Yeosang hissed in pain.

Yeosang slowly lowered his shaking hands to reveal the bloody mess of his face. Seonghwa let out an audible gasp and Hongjoong quickly clamped a hand over his own mouth in shock.

“I will… I will take it from here.” Hongjoong stuttered, addressing San and Seonghwa and quickly motioning for them to leave.

“Are you sure… will he be alright?” Seonghwa asked in a small voice.

“Yes, now please just leave us be. I will come see you when things are taken care of.” Hongjoong instructed as he ushered them out of the room and quickly locked the doors.

Seonghwa led San back to their cabin where they sat on the edge of Seonghwa’s bed in silence for some time before San finally broke it.

“Do... you think he’s going to be okay?” San asked in a small voice.

“God I hope so.” Seonghwa said with a long sigh.

“But… how are _you_ feeling?” San followed up.

Seonghwa had been so preoccupied with what had just occurred to Yeosang that he had completely forgotten about his own condition. For the first time in weeks he didn’t feel any pain. He craned his neck to the side and pulled at the skin on his arm, holding it out in front of him and inspecting the entire length. Not a single mark was left.

“I feel… fine?” Seonghwa said with relief. “He did it… he actually did it.”

San quickly latched onto Seonghwa, burying his face in his chest, taking him slightly by surprise.

“I am so glad. I was so scared… I could never lose you.” San murmured, eyes welling with tears.

“I know, I know.” Seonghwa replied softly, petting through San’s hair. “I was scared too.”

Seonghwa pulled San in closer and held onto him tightly as they anxiously awaited news on Yeosang’s condition; praying for the best but also fearing the worst...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to veer off the main story line slightly and venture into Seonghwa and San's past a little bit.

10 years ago Seonghwa lost everything.

Seonghwa had been born to the sea. He never had any intention of leaving.

He was part of a very large, very ancient pod of merfolk, possibly the largest and oldest, consisting of over fifty members who called the waters off the Northern Islands their home. It was not uncommon for members of his pod to live upwards of two hundred human years, but other than those in charge of monitoring the rising and falling tides, time did not really exist under the sea and age was an arbitrary number. Oftentimes the only way to tell one’s true age once they had reached maturity was by the colouring of their scales. A merman’s scales often reflected the region where they were from and Seonghwa’s pod was specifically known for their distinct black scales but as they aged, dull grey scales would slowly begin to appear as they reached the end of their lives.

Seonghwa was the youngest member of the pod and the only surviving offspring from his entire generation. Even as he approached adulthood, he would still often be babied and coddled by his elders. But he didn’t mind. He greatly respected his elders and the laws they had put in place to protect everyone within the pod. The strictest laws were specifically with regards to human contact and they were to _never_ be broken. Any and all contact with those who lived on land was strictly forbidden. As they had lost many members of the pod at the hands of humans in the past, humans were to never know of their continued existence.

Despite his growing curiosity towards the world above, Seonghwa was very careful never to push the boundaries too far, always keeping a safe distance and never getting too close to the shore or any passing vessels. He had been taught to fear humans, and fear he did.

That was until one day he found himself unintentionally entangled in the affairs of a human.

The situation quickly became dire as Seonghwa had broken the one law he had sworn to never break. It became a matter of his life or the human’s. In order to save the life of the human, Seonghwa willingly sacrificed himself and accepted a permanent exile to land instead. He made a deal with a sea witch to erase all memories of him from the human as well as to acquire the crystals that would allow him to live on land, taking on a human form. Unfortunately as part of the magical transaction, Seonghwa also lost many of his own memories of his life in the sea.

Despite having spent his entire life there, he did not miss the sea or his family who had cast him out so quickly as it now all just seemed like a distant blur. He could not miss what he could not fully remember.

And so started Seonghwa’s life on land. 

***

The transition to land was not easy for Seonghwa.

He spent two years by the side of the sea witch who had granted him life on land to essentially re-learn how to live life but now as a human. Simple things like walking, and even speaking became a learning process. Merfolk would often communicate telepathically in the water so he had to learn how to consistently vocalize his thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak as merfolk were known for their voices, especially those from siren lineages, but Seonghwa often found himself trailing off when speaking, losing himself in his own head and having to start thoughts over and over again.

One unintentionally lucky survival trait of his was that merman scales were incredibly valuable to magic users on the supernatural black market. Upon the necessary monthly temporary shift back to his merman form, Seonghwa was instructed exactly how to extract his own scales and he quickly learned how to use them to earn money or barter for the items he would need to survive. The sea witch also gladly took a cut each time as ‘repayment for caring for him’ they would say. Seonghwa did not argue.

The sea witch also tapped into Seonghwa’s natural magic abilities which led to him learning that he could control the weather. However, it was discovered that the further inland he was, the weaker this power of his ended up being, sometimes to the point where he couldn’t even conjure a single cloud. He was always strongest when on the coast so that is where they tended to stay..

Seonghwa soon became bored of being confined to the same small lagoons and coves that the sea witch frequented, as he kept his merman side a shameful secret. If he was going to be stuck on land, he wanted to see more of it. He craved the adventure of new places.

It was difficult but eventually Seonghwa felt strong enough to head out into the world on his own and leave the Northern Islands far behind him.

***

It had been three years since Seonghwa had left the company of the sea witch, five years since he had left the sea, and he had recently taken up temporary residence in another new country. He had gotten used to picking up and relocating every so often as he slowly explored the world but also so that he wouldn’t end up drawing too much attention to himself and his unusual habits.

This time he had settled in a bustling port city on the coast of a small Eastern country. He quite liked the cool weather that this location brought and while most people would find the high amount of rain the city experienced a low point, he absolutely loved it and was able to hone his tempestarii skills with the locals being none the wiser.

He had amassed a small fortune over the past couple of years selling his scales and was able to rent himself a small studio loft on the top floor of an worn down old building. His favourite part of the entire place was the small roof top balcony where he would often be found perched on during the heaviest of rain storms. The rain, especially the rain of a coastal town felt so invigorating on his skin. Often he would let the rain soak him to the bone, just taking in the faint imprint of the sea the droplets brought with them. It even seemed to help rejuvenate him between shifts and give him the energy boost to go a day or two longer than he would normally be able to.

Another perk was the proximity to the local markets. He could easily make some sales and still be able to pick up the essentials that he needed without having to travel too far out of the way. Unlike many supernatural markets he had experienced in the past, this market actually felt particularly safe. Normally he would hesitate making a trip to the market in fear of being mugged or even possibly cursed by a wayward witch but this market seemed so... normal. So well-adjusted. Everyone was just out there trying to make ends meet without drawing too much attention from the humans.

Some higher power finally seemed to be smiling down upon Seonghwa, allowing him to enjoy the little things in life after years of struggle.

***

One day while Seonghwa was completing his usual rounds in the market he heard a commotion coming from a nearby square. Curiosity was piqued within him and he made his way through the maze of covered stalls until he reached the edge of the square. He could see a large crowd gathered at the far end with an eccentric-looking man standing on a crate announcing something that had everyone watching all riled up.

He slowly made his way closer in hopes of being able to overhear what the man was yelling about. Standing in the back of the crowd he could finally hear and it was not at all what he had expected.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I guarantee our show is nothing you have ever seen before!” The eccentric man called out, using an over-the-top theatrical voice. “We have freaks of all kinds! Come and see the monsters from your nightmares in the flesh!”

Seonghwa was immediately disgusted by the man’s words. He knew very well that the man was referencing a freak show. Freak shows had started becoming more and more popular recently and commonly exploited supernaturals and magic users or conned people into believing human actors _were_ supernaturals when they weren’t. Seonghwa hated them with every fiber of his being and turned to leave as a wave of disappointment and agitation flooded over him.

“But wait, there's more!” The eccentric man proclaimed, “We have procured the most exquisite and rarest of creatures! A beautifully dangerous, half-human monster of the sea!”

 _Half-human monster of the sea_ Seonghwa's mind repeated as he stopped dead in his tracks, quickly turning back around to look as the man unfurled a large poster showing the painted silhouette of a mermaid. Seonghwa's eyes went wide in mild panic but at the same time he was also overcome with a feeling of excitement of the possibility of being able to see one of his kind for the first time in years.

“Only two dollars per show!” The man called. “Be sure to get your tickets before this attraction sells out and before we have to move on to the next city! We will be here for two weeks only!”

Seonghwa hesitated. There was a small chance that they actually had a mermaid held captive. He could not be sure if it was actually real or another elaborate hoax but he knew he would have to see for himself to find out. His body almost seemed to act on its own and the next thing he knew he had bought himself a ticket to the show later that night.

Seonghwa was increasingly more and more anxious as the hour of the freak show drew nearer. He returned to the square after the sun had set and continued a ways past to a small theatre building where the freak show had temporarily set up. The types of people hanging around the theatre were not the types he would normally associate with, many seeming to be quite wealthy and he immediately felt out of place.

As soon as he opened the large theatre doors he was quickly ushered inside and once they had taken his ticket he was further ushered into the small seating area. The theatre was quite small, only being able to seat maybe 100 people and the stage was very close to them, almost too close for comfort.

Within a few minutes the freak show had begun and Seonghwa grimly watched. Many of the antics agitated him as he had been correct in thinking that it was just going to be humans with near grotesque acrobatic abilities pretending to be supernaturals and optical illusions being touted as magic. He grew more and more disappointed as the show dragged on knowing all too well that the promised mermaid was most likely going to be fake as well.

Finally, after nearly two grueling hours of waiting, the last act was about to commence and several stage hands wheeled out a large tank that was covered in a long velvet cloth. Seonghwa was finally interested again as he knew it was now or never; this had to be it. His nerves began to take hold of him as he fidgeted in his seat, anxiously awaiting the big reveal.

The announcer launched into his pitch about the “creature” they held captive and how beautiful but also how dangerous and fearsome it was. Seonghwa honestly could not be bothered to pay attention to what he was saying, he was entirely fixated on the cloth as if his intense glare could burn a hole in it.

With a dramatic flourish, the stage hands removed the cloth revealing the contents of the tank. Many members of the small audience gasped and Seonghwa unintentionally rose to his feet in complete shock at what appeared before him.

In the large tank was not a mermaid but a young merman.

The merman shielded his eyes from the bright stage lights focused upon him and Seonghwa could see that he was terrified, his wrists being shackled together and his body looking fairly gaunt and malnourished.

Noticing his unintentional action of standing stark upright, Seonghwa immediately sat back down so as not to draw anymore attention to himself.

The showrunner continued on with his spiel but Seonghwa could not take his eyes off the merman for even a second. Despite the gaps in his memories, the merman was not from any pod he was familiar with. He had brilliant, almost iridescent silver scales, many of which appeared almost a faint purple color under the stage lights. The scales covered his body from his elbows to his fingertips and from his navel down as his hips transitioned into a long intricate fish tale. A smattering of scales ran along the sides of his neck, where large gills were located and down the sides of his ribcage. Most notably, his dark hair contained a large streak of silver in the front on one side. His appearance was quite breathtaking but Seonghwa quickly became concerned over all the small cuts and bruises that ran up his back which could be seen whenever he shifted slightly in the too-small tank he was locked in.

After the show, attendees were permitted to take a closer look at all the freaks. Seonghwa cautiously got up from his seat and made a direct beeline towards the merman.

The merman appeared tormented by the spectators tapping on the glass of the tank. He had cowered as far back as he could in the tiny space, flinching every time someone started pounding again, trying to get his attention.

Seonghwa gently nudged the other spectators aside and closely approached the large tank. 

The merman was even more breathtaking up close. He had several shiny scales that speckled across his high cheekbones like large freckles. The small rigid fins on either side of his head where his ears would be also each contained a couple small silver piercings meaning he had originally come from a quite affluent pod.

Seonghwa calmly put his palm up against the glass and reached for the crystal pendant he wore around his neck, grasping it tightly in his hand and praying that the idea he had would work. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, trying his best to block out the loud noises around him and to concentrate only on the merman in front of him. The merman was watching him with a somewhat perplexed expression. Seonghwa opened his eyes and let his gaze intersect the merman's.

 _My name is Seonghwa. I am like you. You do not need to be afraid of me._ Seonghwa thought, without saying a single word aloud.

The merman's eyes immediately went wide when he picked up on Seonghwa's thoughts.

 _You can hear me, can't you?_ Seoghwa continued.

The merman furrowed his brow and glared at Seonghwa in confusion.

 _Do you understand what I am saying? I apologize, I do not know what language you speak_ _—_

_No, I understand._

Seonghwa was almost as shocked as the merman when he received a response from him.

 _What is your name?_ Seonghwa asked.

The merman did not answer and it was evident that he was quite flustered, not knowing what to make of this strange human who could somehow communicate with him.

_I will not hurt you. Like I said, I am like you. Please, tell me, what is your name?_

_My name? My name is San... but you are human! You said you were like me? How?_

San cautiously swam up to the glass, pressing his scaly clawed hand up against where Seonghwa had placed his.

 _I was given this special crystal._ Seonghwa communicated while opening his hand slightly to let San see the small pendant. _Do you see? It allows me to shift into a human form on land._

San looked down at the small stone intently and then back up at Seonghwa, almost as if studying his features.

Just then the showrunner announced that they would be closing shortly and that everyone must exit the theatre. Seonghwa looked around him as the attendees slowly began to file out of the theatre. He quickly turned back to the merman.

_I have to go. But I will get you out of here. I will be back, I promise._

_No, please don't leave me!_

San's thoughts went into a panic as Seonghwa turned away to leave and broke the connection. He looked back over his shoulder to see San with both hands pressed up against the glass, a gutted look on his face that would almost seem like he were crying if he were not submerged underwater. Seonghwa gave a bit of a reassuring nod and quickly exited the theatre with the rest of the patrons.

Seonghwa kept his word and returned for several nights as he tried to devise a plan to free San. 

Each time he returned, San seemed to become more and more desperate and it became more and more difficult to concentrate to communicate as San's thoughts were becoming increasingly more frantic as well. Eventually Seonghwa was able to get enough information out of him to create a plan that might just work.

He was to come back on one of the slower nights with the spare crystal he had in his possession. The crystal was originally meant to be used in an emergency if he were to be without his own, but this was a different type of emergency and he was willing to make the sacrifice. As part of the plan, he would sneak backstage after the show and would have San shift into a human form so that he could smuggle him out of the theatre unnoticed. 

Amazingly his plan went a lot smoother than he had expected and he was able to make it backstage without anyone even noticing. However, it took much longer than he had hoped to locate where they kept San. When he did find him though, he was glad to see he had been unshackled and transferred to a much larger glass tank, presumably where he was forced to live when not a part of the show.

 _Seonghwa!_ San’s thought echoed in Seonghwa’s mind as he clutched tightly onto his pendant.

_It’s okay. I’m here now and I’m going to get you out. But I have a lot I must explain first, okay?_

San nodded as he eagerly swished his tail fin back and forth, keeping him in place with his hands pressed up against the glass of the tank.

Seonghwa carefully explained what must be done with the crystal and what would happen to San's body when he shifted. San agreed to do it all without any hesitation. 

_You have twenty minutes before they come back to move me._

_We must act fast then._

After finding some nearby tools, Seonghwa was able to break the lock on the tank. He quickly lifted the lid and tossed in the crystal. San snatched it as it floated down to him and put it around his neck. As instructed, he then raised his hand to his mouth, tearing into the side of it with his small fang-like incisors causing a waft of blood to float into the water surrounding him. He swiftly took the crystal and brought it in contact with his blood, which the stone seemed to immediately accept, glowing a faint purple as it formed the magic contract with his body.

_You should feel the shift start to take hold soon..._

Almost no time had passed before shift began and San had doubled over in pain.

_It's okay, it's okay the pain is only temporary. You're doing great, this will all be over soon._

Seonghwa could not bear to actually watch San go through with the shift as he knew the first time would feel excruciating. He had to avert his eyes as San went through the process, thrashing in the water as he tried to stave off the pain in any way possible. 

It was mere minutes before San's movements became still and Seonghwa looked up to see the shift was complete and San had a new, human body. He was quick to lean over the tank and pull San up. As soon as he had broken through the surface of the water San began coughing and sputtering, not being used to not being able to breathe underwater. At the same time Seonghwa was frantically trying to calm him down, scared someone would hear them and they would be caught as he hoisted San fully out of the tank and onto the floor.

San sat soaking wet and naked, splayed on the cement floor breathing heavily. He was nervously looking over his hands that were now completely absent of scales. He let out a small gasp when he saw his legs, trailing his fingers along the new flesh, twitching at the unfamiliar sensation.

As San eagerly explored his new body, Seonghwa grabbed the bag he had brought with him and pulled out a set of spare clothes for San.

Seonghwa quickly and quietly helped San dry off and get changed into the clothes that he had brought for him. Seonghwa's clothes hung loosely on San's small frame but it would have to do. He was sure to put a brimmed cap on San's head to help conceal his face and distinct hair coloring. Once he was dressed, Seonghwa knew he would not be able to walk unaided and gently helped him to his feet, sliding one hand around his waist while slinging San's right arm around his shoulders to help brace him and bear his weight.

“I will help you walk, it is fine if you stumble but make sure to keep your head down.” Seonghwa quietly instructed.

San just silently nodded as Seonghwa hoisted him up to a firm standing position.

“Alright, here we go.” Seonghwa said with a deep inhale as he started to partially carry and partially drag San back into the main hall.

Seonghwa tried to walk as quickly as he could while San stumbled along beside him. He only prayed that they would be able to make it outside without being stopped. But as soon as the thought had crossed his mind he was approached by an usher and he could feel San's grip on his waist tighten in panic.

“Sir, do you need any assistance?” The usher asked, curiously looking over San while San kept his head low, pressingly himself tightly against Seonghwa's side.

“Ah it's fine thank you.” Seonghwa replied calmly. “My young brother here just had a little too much to drink and we must be getting home.”

“Would you like me to fetch you a carriage?”

“No, no it won't be a far walk, I will manage fine.” Seonghwa said while giving a bit of a dismissive wave.

“Alright, well have a good night sir!” The usher said while turning to go attend to other customers.

Seonghwa re-positioned San's arm around his shoulders and hurriedly guided him out of the theatre. As soon as they were outside and had rounded a corner out of sight, Seonghwa cautiously put San down, sitting him against the wall of a narrow alleyway to take a quick breather as he was horribly out of shape.

“It's not over yet.” Seonghwa said with a sigh, “But we must quicken the pace before they catch on.”

After only a couple minutes of rest, he bent down and instead picked up San in a piggyback. It was much more conspicuous but it would allow them to travel much faster. Seonghwa gave a bit of a groan as he hoisted San onto his back, making sure to hold tightly around his legs.

San let out a sharp inhale in concern over Seonghwa's condition.

“Do not worry about me.” Seonghwa said with a laugh, picking up on San's concern, “This body is just not used to all this work.”

Seonghwa then quickly made his way down the dark alleys and side streets, avoiding the main square and markets until they had made it back to the building where he was staying. Carrying San up several flights of stairs to the studio he was staying in turned out to be much more of a grueling physical chore than he had expected but eventually they made it to Seonghwa's apartment, huffing to catch his breath and dampened with sweat. Seonghwa carried him over to his bed and flopped down on the thin mattress sending San tumbling back behind him.

“Sorry for that.” Seonghwa said as he caught San and pulled him back just before he went tumbling over the edge with a small squeak.

Seonghwa carefully repositioned San so that he could comfortably lay back on the pillows. He then lethargically got back up and walked over to the door to his apartment and made sure to lock it and slide across the deadbolt.

“We are safe now.” Seonghwa said as he crumpled to the floor.

San struggled to push himself up into a sitting position against the headboard and strained to look over at Seonghwa sitting splayed on the floor. Seonghwa was just silently laughing to himself, his shoulders giving a bit of a shake as a smile spread across his face. Seonghwa's eyes slowly trailed their way up to San sitting on the bed looking at him curiously with the slightest tilt of the head.

“You don't talk much, do you?” Seonghwa said with a laugh. “Don’t worry, you will learn over time.”

San gave a bit of a tick and quickly averted eye contact.

Seonghwa immediately took notice of the change in San's disposition and clambered over to sit beside the bed.

“You _can_ talk, can't you? Did they do something to you?” Seonghwa asked in a concerned tone.

San closed his eyes and nodded his head.

“It's okay San.” Seonghwa said, calmly taking San's hand in his and giving it a reassuring rub.

San looked at the warm hands that were holding his and glanced up to meet Seonghwa's eyes. He took in a shuddered breath, almost looking on the verge of tears.

“I-I can talk.” He said in a tiny voice while trying to hold back tears. “Th-they used to... they... used to beat and muzzle me i-if I tried to speak.”

“San...”

“They s-said the words I sp-oke ...w-were cursed. Th-that I would bewitch them.”

“Why would they ever think that?” Seonghwa said in a concerned tone, tightening his grip on San's hands.

“B-because I'm descended from s-sirens.” San said with a tone of shame, looking away from Seonghwa.

“Oh San...” Seonghwa said quietly while reaching out to gently stroke San's hair.

San gave a bit of a flinch at his touch and it absolutely shattered Seonghwa's heart. He quickly got up and moved over onto the bed, shuffling onto the small mattress to sit beside San, pulling San in close against his chest to comfort him. San let out another shuddered breath and nuzzled his head into the nook between Seonghwa's neck and collarbone.

“It's okay San.” Seonghwa said in a half whisper. “I will never let them hurt you ever again.”

San gave a shaky nod and Seonghwa could feel him softly crying against him.

“Shhhh...” Seonghwa cooed softly while gently stroking his hair. “Just rest for now.”

They must have sat there in silence for hours, not moving, until San eventually cried himself to sleep and Seonghwa was quietly able to slip away. He quickly ran out to grab some food and other supplies he figured they might need over the next few days. When he returned he was relieved to see San still sound asleep on the bed. He knew his first day in this new body would be exhausting both mentally and physically on top of the trauma from finally escaping captivity. The next few days would be equally exhausting but Seonghwa hoped that San would be able to get a handle on things as quickly as he had.

Seonghwa eventually decided that he too needed some sleep and sat down in the large armchair across from the bed and slowly nodded off. Several hours later San awoke with a startle. He sat bolt upright in the bed with a loud gasp, suddenly unaware of his surroundings or the feeling of being on land and he quickly started to panic and hyperventilate. Seonghwa groggily woke up at the commotion and when he realized what was happening he scrambled over to the bed and quickly cradled San in his arms, holding onto him tightly.

“It's okay, it's okay.” He said reassuringly. “I'm here. Just breathe in and out slowly. In.... and out.... in.... and out. Just like me.”

San placed one of his hands on Seonghwa's chest to feel the rise and fall of his breathing patterns and slowly started to calm down once he got his breathing under control.

“There you go, clever boy.” Seonghwa praised him. “I know the first few days on land can be difficult and confusing. This is completely normal.”

“Seonghwa... it hurts.”

“What does?”

“E-everything.”

“That is just your body getting used to things being different. You're being forced to use muscles that never existed before and in ways your body is not used to. The pains will slowly subside as you acclimatize. Do not worry, it is only temporary.”

“I'm sorry.” San said quietly.

“There is nothing to be sorry for. I was the same as you the first time I shifted. It was scary not knowing how this body works. But I am here to help you every step of the way.”

“Thank you.”

“We will get your health back up and then once you feel like you are strong enough we can head down to the sea and you can shift back and be free once more.” Seonghwa said with a reassuring smile.

San furrowed his brow and balled up the sheets on the bed in his fists.

“Is something wrong?”

“Couldn't I... couldn't I just... stay... with you?” San asked quietly, slowly looking up at Seonghwa.

“You want to stay? With me? On land?” Seonghwa asked somewhat taken aback.

San slowly nodded.

“Are you sure? It won't be easy, it will take a lot of work...”

San nodded more vigorously. “I want to stay. Just... just at least for a little while longer.”

“Well, it _would_ be nice having a companion as I've been travelling alone on land for years now.” Seonghwa said with a sigh. “But if you ever change your mind, that pendant around your neck will let you shift back whenever you please. I will not force you to stay if you do not want to. You are free to go whenever you wish.”

San nodded again in agreement and Seonghwa pulled him in tightly once more.

***

Over the next few days, Seonghwa began to slowly help teach San how to walk, talk, dress and function in his new human body. It was not easy for either of them but San managed to learn even faster than Seonghwa originally had. Though, Seonghwa could only laugh at many of San's actions; they were so innocent and child-like but so incredibly endearing to Seonghwa who had been so starved for companionship for so long.

“I'm glad I found you, San.” Seonghwa said with a fond smile as he watched San excitedly succeed in finally being able to tie his boots on his own, ruffling his hair gently as he did so.

San just smiled brightly up at him, his eyes becoming small crescents as he did so.

Seonghwa had to admit the first few nights with San were a bit of a shock to him as he was not used to the affection San constantly showed. It took him quite some time to get used to it but San had refused to sleep alone after that first night and he was constantly craving the touch of another due to horrible separation anxiety caused by his captivity. Now San cuddling up next to him felt completely normal and would put his mind at ease.

For the first time, Seonghwa felt like a future on land didn’t seem so bad after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa and San backstory part 2. We will be back to the main story line in the next chapter.

Seonghwa was still becoming accustomed to San’s company when a particularly bad thunderstorm hit the small coastal city just after they had settled in for the night. Seonghwa was very much used to the sounds of coastal storms but to San they were an entirely new experience and quite frightening. Every time the thunder would crash above, San would let out a small whimper and cling more tightly onto Seonghwa. Soon his actions were enough to pull Seonghwa from his sleep as the terrified San had unintentionally dug his nails into his side.

“San…” Seonghwa muttered groggily. “San please let go… you’re hurting me.”

With a startled jerk San immediately pulled away from Seonghwa, curling into a tight ball, quickly covering his head with his arms when thunder boomed loudly once more.

“What’s wrong?” Seonghwa asked, finally being awake enough to notice San’s frightened state.

San didn’t answer but just kept his hands clamped tightly over his ears. Seonghwa rolled over and pulled San in tightly, softly petting over his hair and planting soft kisses on the crown of his head. Eventually San lowered his hands and looked up at him with wide glassy eyes.

“What is that scary noise?” He asked in a quivering voice.

“Do you mean the thunder? The loud sound outside?” Seonghwa asked.

San nodded.

“That’s just the weather. The sound cannot hurt you, you do not need to be afraid of it.” Seonghwa explained calmly. “Here, I will make it go away…”

Seonghwa took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus his energy as he lazily raised one hand above his head, slowly twiddling his fingers. Within a minute or so, the distant rumbling of thunder had passed and instead was replaced by the sound of heavy rain upon the roof.

“There.” Seonghwa exhaled. “Better?”

San nodded again but still seemed a little thrown off by the sound of the rain.

“Have you ever experienced the rain before?” Seonghwa asked.

San just inclined his head slightly to the side and gave him a confused expression.

“Water, from the sky.” Seonghwa explained in simpler terms.

San inclined his head in the other direction, his confusion mounting.

“You’ve _really_ never—I guess you were in captivity a long time, huh?” Seonghwa said, giving San’s hair a small ruffle.

Curling up in a ball again, San just looked away with a forlorn expression.

“Oh Sannie, I’m sorry.” Seonghwa lamented while giving his back a gentle rub. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I had only ever experienced the rain once or twice before coming to land myself. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Here, let’s go take a look.”

Seonghwa slid out of bed and made his way over to the small balcony door, pulling aside the curtain and unlatching the small lock. San lifted his head, watching him curiously from the bed.

“Come on!” Seonghwa beckoned with a small laugh.

Slowly pulling himself off of the bed, he took a few shaky steps towards Seonghwa. San had made miraculous progress over the past few days in learning to walk but he was still unsure of his footing and balance and would hesitate every few steps before continuing on. He was several feet from the door when his eyes caught the movement of the falling rain outside and he cautiously craned his neck to look at the exterior surroundings in mild bewilderment. Seonghwa extended a hand out to San and he quickly latched onto it as Seonghwa carefully guided him towards the door. San’s eyes were glued to the sky as Seonghwa swung the small door open and ducked out onto the balcony, immediately soaking himself in the downpour. San hesitated again while still tightly holding onto Seonghwa’s hand. With his free hand he cautiously reached out into the stream of rain. As soon as the water drops made contact with his skin he quickly withdrew his hand again. Seonghwa gave a small laugh as he slicked back his wet hair.

“It’s alright, it won’t hurt you. It’s only water.” He said with a wide smile.

San stuck out his hand again and this time kept it under the rain. The water felt refreshing on his skin and he nervously took a step outside. Within seconds he was drenched but instead of being frightened he let out a contented giggle. Letting go of Seonghwa’s hand, he reached both of his hands to the sky and playfully twirled around. 

“I like this.” He said quietly.

“I thought you would.” Seonghwa said with another small laugh.

Seonghwa invoked his powers once more to have the weather let up ever so slightly and they stayed out in the warm summer rain for quite some time before heading back inside to dry off and get some much needed sleep, San much more content than before.

***

A few weeks had passed since San’s rescue and the moon had reached a new phase. Seonghwa knew that this signalled that he and San would both be required to shift soon so as to recharge and keep themselves healthy. He had noticed himself becoming more and more tired throughout the day but he had only attributed that feeling to having to spend most of his time looking after San. Reasoning seemed to fall into place a lot faster once he realized just how long it had been since he last properly shifted.

Since he hadn’t really had the chance to find a safe place to shift since moving to the city and before San had arrived, he had spent two consecutive nights heading out by himself, much to San's protests, to find a secluded part of the coast where they would be able to go unnoticed. It was difficult for Seonghwa to explain his exile to San as the details of what he remembered were vague at best but he asserted that he was never to go back to the open seas and that he unfortunately had to stick to the coastal coves and lagoons.

On the third night of searching he finally came across a small hidden cove just outside the city limits. They would have to pay close attention to the tides but it would do for now. Seonghwa quickly headed back home to tell San the good news and to inform him they would be shifting the next night to prepare him.

The day of the shift San was visibly nervous the entire time which led to Seonghwa becoming anxious himself as they waited for the sun to begin to dip low on the horizon. San had no idea what to expect from the shift and Seonghwa had never shifted with another person present before, let alone had he allowed anyone to see his merman form in years.

The trek to the cove was long and slow. While San was capable of walking, he tired very quickly and was much slower paced than the average person. They eventually reached the cove just after the sun had completely set. 

Both of them made their way over the rocky shoreline and down a long outcropping of jagged rocks. The tide was out making for quite a long journey as they hopped between rocks, skirting the edge of the tidal mudflats until the water eventually appeared below. 

Seonghwa suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, overcome by the expanse of the sea in front of him. Caught unaware of his sudden halt, San nearly bumped into him, losing his footing on the rocks and quickly clinging onto Seonghwa’s shirt to steady himself.

“You alright?” San asked as he righted himself.

Seonghwa seemed to snap back to his senses and smiled down at San. “Everything is fine, sorry. I just got distracted for a moment. This seems like as good a spot as any, let’s go.”

They quickly undressed, climbing down the rocks and wading into the chilly waters until it was up to their chests. San seemed extremely put off by how cold the water was and lagged behind Seonghwa quite a bit.

“So now what?” San said through chattering teeth, his arms crossed tightly in front of him.

“You will need to focus on your merman form and submerge yourself.” Seonghwa explained, nodding towards the pendant around San's neck. “The crystal will do the rest.”

“That's it?” San said, making a face, somewhat disappointed.

Seonghwa just nodded. “See you on the other side.” He said as he quickly dunked himself under the water, the crystal around his neck glowing softly as he did so.

San took a deep breath and followed suit in submerging himself.

Seonghwa shifted almost immediately. His merman form felt so familiar yet so foreign every time he shifted but the sea water felt so rejuvenating. Slowly resurfacing, he swam over to the small outcropping of rocks to wait for San and rummage through the bag of items he had brought with him. He fumbled as his clawed hands made it slightly more difficult to find what he was looking for but eventually he managed to pull out a small mirror. His reflection took him slightly by surprise as it had been so long since he had shifted last but he carefully gave himself a once-over to make sure everything was as it should be. He ran his tongue over his small, sharp fang-like incisors as he craned his neck back to get a good view of all his teeth. He then ran his fingers along small black scales that speckled along his jawline and carefully looked over the rigid black fins and gills on either side of his head and neck, respectively.

“No grey.” He sighed in relief as he finished inspecting his arms and tailfin and placed the small mirror back in the bag.

Some time had passed and San had still not resurfaced. Seonghwa began to worry that he might have accidentally drowned, remaining in his human form. But just as he was contemplating diving back under for him, San broke through the surface with a gasp having shifted into his merman form.

“Oh thank goodness.” Seonghwa said with a sigh of relief. “I thought you might have drowned.”

“I think I almost did.” San said in an aggravated tone as he turned to face the sound of Seonghwa's voice.

As soon as San laid eyes on Seonghwa they went wide in fascination, his jaw dropping ever so slightly in the process.

“You're... Y-you're...” San stuttered as his blinking eyes trailed over Seonghwa’s intimidating visage.

“I'm what?” Seonghwa asked with a laugh as he casually swam over to him.

 _Beautiful._

San’s thought unintentionally rang out and his face immediately burned bright red having forgotten that Seonghwa would be able to hear his internal dialogue in this form.

Seonghwa was caught off guard by San’s sudden compliment as blush crept onto his own cheeks. San gave a small cry in embarrassment before quickly ducking back under the surface of the water and out of sight.

Submerging himself as well, Seonghwa dove deep under the surface. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he scanned the surrounding waters looking for any sign of where San had gone.

 _San?_

His thought echoed across the sea floor with no response.

Seonghwa swam down deeper into the dark waters in search of San, repeatedly calling out to him but there was no trace to be found of him anywhere. If San was playing some sort of game, Seonghwa definitely could not see the fun in it. He continued searching but it was as if San had somehow managed to just vanish. As Seonghwa edged closer to the open waters his anxiety quickly began to mount as he looked at the vast expanse before him. Seonghwa’s heart suddenly sank as the thought dawned on him that San might have just... _left_.

 _San, please answer me._ Seonghwa called out, his thoughts more desperate than before as he whipped his head from side to side looking for any sign of movement.

There was nothing forcing him to stay. After being in captivity for as long as San had, it would only make sense for him to want to return to the sea and stay there. San had only been with him a short time but Seonghwa couldn't believe how gutted he felt at even thinking about being without him.

_I’m still here._

A wave of relief washed over Seonghwa as he turned around to see San swimming back up to him.

_I didn’t mean to disappear on you, I was just caught off guard with my own thoughts and didn't want you thinking my comment was careless and_ _—_

Seonghwa grabbed onto San’s wrist and pulled him into a tight embrace, gently cradling his head.

_Seonghwa?_

San gave him a mildly concerned look at this suddenly display of affection.

_I’m just glad you stayed._

_Of course I stayed. Why would I leave?_

_It’s… it’s nothing, do not dwell on it._ Seonghwa gave a weak smile and shaking his head from his own foolishness.

Playfully pulling free from his grasp, San began swimming small circles around Seonghwa. It didn’t take long for him to convince Seonghwa to follow him as they dove deeper to explore the surrounding area. As they swam it was hard for San to keep his eyes off of Seonghwa, this time he was much more careful to keep his thoughts to himself so that Seonghwa wouldn't be able to pick up on them. But otherwise he was completely mesmerized by Seonghwa's merman form.

After several extensive laps of the cove which was much larger and deeper than either of them had expected, Seonghwa resurfaced and swam over to the shore, San following close behind. Reaching for his bag, he pulled out several bathhouse scrubbing cloths and a pouch of other items, tossing them up onto one of the large flat rocks nearby. Seonghwa pulled himself up out of the water and onto the rock, tucking his large black tailfin underneath him.

“Come over here and I’ll scrub you down.” Seonghwa said, beckoning for San to come over. “It’s a small luxury we can afford to take advantage of tonight. Plus I doubt you were able to take care of your scales very well while in captivity.”

San nodded and hesitantly swam up to the edge of the rock as Seonghwa extended a hand to help pull him up. He struggled slightly but when Seonghwa put his full weight into it, he was able to pull him up and over as San clumsily toppled onto him, unintentionally pinning Seonghwa down on the rock. Seonghwa could feel San's breath on his neck as he gave a small laugh and San pushed himself up ever so slightly. When their eyes met their faces were only centimeters apart.

San hesitated.

“You're not letting me hear your thoughts. Why?” Seonghwa said, cracking a sly smile. “What are you trying to hide from me?”

San leaned down and gave Seonghwa a quick, playful kiss on the lips.

Seonghwa’s eyes momentarily went wide in surprise but he did not push San away.

San hesitated again, looking deeply into Seonghwa’s eyes, a look of yearning, wanting being expressed within his gaze. He gently brushed the wet hair out of Seonghwa’s face.

_This._

San's singular thought rang through Seonghwa's mind as San relinquished self-control and began kissing him once more, this time much deeper than before. A single moan escaped Seonghwa’s throat as San began to lazily swirl his tongue around his own.

Before Seonghwa could fully process what was happening, he found himself wrapping his arms around San’s neck and pulling him closer, passionately kissing him back. In a heartbeat he had flipped San onto his back and had pinned him down as he continued to kiss him, their tail fins becoming intertwined in the process.

After several minutes of bliss, Seonghwa slowly pulled away, giving San a gentle pat on the cheek and laughing lightly to himself in the process.

“Is something wrong?” San asked, sitting up with a concerned look.

“No, it’s nothing… it has just been _so long_ since I've received such affection from anyone. I have to admit it's a little overwhelming.” Seonghwa muttered happily to himself, blush creeping back onto his cheeks.

There was a brief pause as San inched closer.

“But thank you.” Seonghwa gave San a warm, contented smile.

“I just wanted you to know that I really care about you.” San replied quietly as he began to fiddle with a loose scale on his tail fin.

“As do I for you, San.” Seonghwa said, noticing San's action. “Now, how about you let me pamper you a little in return?”

San looked back up at Seonghwa with wide eyes and eagerly nodded. 

Seonghwa motion for him to lay on his stomach as he grabbed the items he had tossed up previously. He carefully laid out various soaps, oils and ointments alongside a small pair of pliers.

“What are those for?” San asked somewhat nervously, looking at the pliers.

“To remove any damaged scales.” Seonghwa said in a preoccupied tone. “It’s also how we make a living. If we each remove around a dozen scales each I can sell them and it should be able to cover living costs for the next month.

“W-will it hurt?”

“Only a little.” Seonghwa reassured him. “But it is a necessary pain. Plus if you don’t remove the damaged scales they could become infected next time you shift and you wouldn’t want that.”

San let out a small hum as he rested his chin on his folded arms in front of him and Seonghwa began carefully running his fingers over the scales on San’s tail. Every so often he would stop and closely inspect a loose scale, lifting it up gently with his fingernail. If it looked too damaged or discoloured he would swiftly remove it with the pliers, San’s body giving a small twitch each time a scale was extracted. This continued for some time until Seonghwa had amassed a small pile of scales.

“I thought you said you were going to pamper me.” San mumbled with a pout.

“All in due time. I’m almost done.” Seonghwa replied. “There is just so much damage…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” San muttered. “The freak show, they treated me like some sort of animal that needed to be broken. I couldn’t even protest or else speaking would earn me another lashing.”

“I am truly sorry that happened to you San. Nobody deserves to be treated like that.” Seonghwa lamented as he finished up, applying a soothing ointment to all the places where scales had been removed.

“The past is in the past.” San said quietly. “I can only make the best of the future I have been given now.”

“That is a good outlook to have.” Seonghwa said, somewhat surprised by his optimism.

Seonghwa quickly and neatly wrapped up all the scales he had collected from San and shoved them back in the small pouch along with the pliers.

“Now that the unpleasant part is done, time for the _real_ pampering, okay?”

San just hummed as he stared out at the waters below. Seonghwa grabbed one of the scrubbing clothes, wetting it in the ocean water and adding some of the fragrant oils he began slowly and thoroughly scrubbing down San's back from his neck to the end of his tail, deep cleaning his skin and his scales as he went.

San let out a long groan. “That feels _so good_.”

“Enjoy it, you deserve it.” Seonghwa said with a laugh.

Once Seonghwa was finished scrubbing every inch of San, San offered to switch places and he started scrubbing down Seonghwa. San's touch was much rougher and a little all over the place compared to Seonghwa's but he didn't mind. The closeness and the simple touch of another was good enough for him.

“It has been years since I've been able to do this with the company of someone else.” Seonghwa mumbled. “I forgot how good this truly feels.”

“Do you ever miss it? The sea?” San asked offhandedly and he worked on Seonghwa's tail fin.

“Yes and no. I wish I had more freedom but I’m lucky to be alive and will take what small freedoms I can still get.”

San continued to work quietly for a while but eventually started humming a light tune.

“What is that you’re humming?” Seonghwa lazily asked.

“Ah sorry!” San fumbled with the cloth he was holding. “I can stop if you want.”

“No, it’s fine. I quite enjoy it.”

“It’s a song I learned from my mother.” San said quietly as he went back to work.

“Ah that’s right, you said you were descended from sirens. Your singing voice must be absolutely beautiful. When you’re feeling more comfortable, I’d love to hear it one day.” Seonghwa commented as San froze again, his face turning bright red once more.

“You’re too kind to me Seonghwa.” San said with a fond smile.

Seonghwa just gave a small laugh as he rolled onto his side so San could continue.

Once they were finished, they just lay on the rocks for an extended period of time, taking in the energy from the moon, recharging their bodies and crystals. The first rays of morning light had begun to peak over the horizon when they finally decided to shift back and head home.

The rocky shoreline was slightly more treacherous on the way back than expected as many of the rocks on the new path they had chosen were covered in slippery algae. Seonghwa was careful not to lose his footing. San, who was much less nimble, was not as successful in navigating a safe course. They were nearly to the shore when Seonghwa heard a small high-pitched cry come from behind him. He turned around just in time to see San having lost his footing on a slippery rock, tumble over the edge. Luckily for him, since the tide was still coming back in, his fall was broken but the soft tidal mudflat below, on which he landed squarely on his back.

“San!” Seonghwa cried as he quickly stumbled his way back over to him. “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need help?”

San just lay there motionless for a second as the wet sea mud slowly seeped into the back of his shirt. Then as if a switch had been flipped he began to giggle uncontrollably while covering his face to hide his embarrassment. Seonghwa couldn’t help but laugh a little at his predicament as well.

“Ahh curse this body.” San muttered between laughs. “I think I just ruined your nice shirt.”

“It’s fine.” Seonghwa replied reassuringly. “We will clean you up once we get back home. Here, take my hand and I’ll pull you back up.” Seonghwa steadied his footing, leaning down and reaching out towards San.

San sat up slightly and took a hold of Seonghwa’s hand. He cracked a devilish grin. Instead of pulling himself up, he put all of his weight into pulling Seonghwa down. It quickly dawned on Seonghwa what San was doing and a small wave of panic washed over him.

“San, no!” Seonghwa tried to say but it was too late and he went tumbling down on top of San.

Seonghwa just lay there on top of him for a brief moment. He gave an agitated sigh as San let out a flurry of giggles. He slowly pushed himself up onto his knees, his hands sinking into the mud as he did so, causing him to struggle a little. San was cackling uncontrollably by this point but Seonghwa, a meticulously clean person, was much less enthused, giving his hands a hard flick sending the mud on them flying.

“Sorry, force of habit.” San giggled, a much darker implication behind his words.

He playfully reached up and drew a muddy line down the bridge of Seonghwa’s nose. Seonghwa closed his eyes and furrowed his brows in mild frustration, deeply inhaling to calm himself. 

“Let’s not do this again, okay?” He said as he struggled to get back to his feet.

Seonghwa clambered back onto the rocks and quickly washed off his hands in a small tide pool. He did a quick survey of the mess San had made of his clothes. His shoes and the lower half of his pants were muddy and soaked through.

“It looks like we will have quite a bit of washing up when we get home now.” He said with a long sigh. “Come on let’s get going.”

“Wait!” San called. “Aren’t you going to help me up?”

“And fall for that trick a second time? I think not.” Seonghwa replied casually with a laugh as he began making his way down the last bit of rocky coast.

“You’re so mean.” San huffed with a pout.

San struggled to finally get up and make his way back to the rocks, the entire back of his shirt and pants stained from the mud. Following Seongwha’s lead, he cleaned up what he could in the small tide pool and clambered across the rocks, almost on all fours in an attempt to catch up with him.

It was already the early hours of the morning by the time they returned to the apartment. Both felt exhausted from the shift and from being out in the sea all night but at the same time it was like their human bodies had been revived, the normal aches and pains having subsided.

After taking their muddy clothes and throwing them in the bathroom, Seonghwa lazily climbed into bed. San followed, quickly wrapping his arms and legs around him in a tight embrace, laying his head on Seonghwa's shoulder. Seonghwa gave a soft smile and nuzzled his chin against the top of his head as they quickly drifted off to sleep.

***

San never fully became adjusted to land and as the years past he yearned to return to the sea. But he did not dare leave Seonghwa's side, instead becoming increasingly protective of him.

It had been four years since San had come into Seonghwa’s life.

San stood out on the small veranda of their current apartment that now overlooked the sea in a new coastal city. He slowly closed his eyes as the warm breeze blew through his messy hair. Breathing in deeply he could smell the brine from the waters below and it stirred something deep inside him, a sort of empty feeling that was slowly gnawing away at him. Opening his eyes again, he let out a small sigh, his sad gaze resting on the horizon momentarily before turning to head back inside.

"Seonghwa?" He called as he walked barefoot into the room.

Seonghwa, who had been sitting across the room reading a dusty old book, lowered it to look over at him.

"What is it?" He asked lightly with a smile.

He quickly noticed San's demeanour and a frown spread across his face.

"You miss it… don't you." His tone changed to more sombre.

San paused briefly. He looked back over his shoulder at the open door leading out to the sunny veranda before walking over to Seonghwa. He knelt down on the floor in front of him, throwing himself across Seonghwa's lap dramatically.

"Why can't we ever shift during the day?" San said in a quiet voice, his eyes giving a pining look. "Why does it always have to be at night, always when it's dark and cold?"

"Well—"

"I miss it." San interjected while sitting upright in a more direct tone. "I miss sunning on the coastal rocks. I miss the warmth from the sun on my scales. I miss the feeling of… the feeling of _freedom_."

The last few words stung like a knife had been lodged in Seonghwa's rib cage. Seonghwa was a little taken aback by San's statement but at the same time did not blame him at all as the life on land he had given him was much more restrictive than any life he could have lived in the sea.

"I'm sorry San. We cannot risk shifting during the day as we could easily be exposed." Seonghwa explained calmly. "And unfortunately due to the conditions of my exile I also cannot travel into open waters far enough from human interference to do so during the day. But I do not want you to feel trapped here, you know you are more than welcome to leave whenever you want."

"I know, I know… it's just… it's not entirely what I had expected." San said with a sigh.

San knew very well that Seonghwa would never keep him against his will but he still could not force himself to actually leave. He was scared to leave Seonghwa alone as much as he was scared to be alone. Wanting to stay and wanting to go but he could never choose between Seonghwa and the sea.

"I will stay a little longer." San said in self defeat, resting his head on Seonghwa's thigh.

Seonghwa knew San wasn't happy on land anymore but there was nothing he could do as it would be cruel to force him to leave. Seonghwa gently ran his fingers through San's wavy hair as San closed his eyes. He slowly twirled the course strands through his fingers as San's breathing became more relaxed.

"I'm sorry I could not provide a better life for you San." Seonghwa uttered brokenheartedly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstreet's back, alright.

The number of days since anyone on the ship other than Hongjoong had seen Yeosang slowly began to mount. His condition and the events surrounding it had been kept from the remainder of the crew so as not to cause any unnecessary unease or panic and even those involved barely got news of how his condition progressed as Yeosang had—as relayed through Hongjoong—strictly forbade anyone involved from discussing it. 

Seonghwa and San nervously awaited any good news as they slowly began to assimilate with the crew. San was having a much easier time than Seonghwa. Having already spent many early mornings and late nights running the jibs or spending the occasional afternoon perched up in the crow’s nest, many were already quite familiar with him and would greet him warmly. 

On the other hand, Seonghwa often found himself surrounded by silent stares whenever he roamed the ship. Many of the crew still seemed wary of him but they didn’t dare voice their apprehensions when he was in earshot. Maybe it was Wooyoung’s sentiments towards him bleeding into the others’ subconscious, maybe it was because news had quickly spread that he was a magic user, or maybe it was because he had otherwise been a ghost on the ship up until now. Either way, if San was not accompanying him the silence from the other crew was almost deafening and loneliness within the cramped quarters was quickly starting to set in. His improved health had finally given him more freedom aboard the ship but he was finding himself holed up in his cabin, waiting for San to return from his duties most days.

Other than the new presence of Seonghwa, the crew didn’t seem to notice the absence of the others. Yeosang had always had somewhat reclusive tendencies and it was not uncommon for Hongjoong to hide below deck when the seas were particularly rough so it was no surprise that the remainder of the ship’s crew, save a couple members who occasionally questioned why Yeosang or Hongjoong were absent, mostly just went about their normal routines as if nothing was out of the ordinary, completely and possibly blissfully unaware that anything bad had happened at all.

The reality of the situation was that Yeosang’s condition had unfortunately worsened exponentially since transferring part of Seonghwa’s curse to himself. Hongjoong had promised to look after Yeosang as he healed and had rarely left his cabin except when summoned by one of the other crew members for duties only he could perform. He had also taken upon himself to consistently check-up on Seonghwa’s condition on Yeosang’s behalf, still being completely in the dark about his and San’s true identities. 

***

There was a light knock on the door to Seonghwa and San’s cabin early one morning, momentarily pulling Seonghwa’s attention out of the book he had been reading which Hongjoong had graciously let him borrow from their small library on board. Figuring it was merely San coming back from having been called to help with the rigging and finding it a little odd that he would knock before entering, Seonghwa was slow to answer. He was surprised to find Hongjoong standing there instead, carrying a large jug of water.

“Oh, Hongjoong! I was not expecting you? Please, come in.” Seonghwa said cordially as he opened the door wider to let Hongjoong pass.

“Yeosang has asked me to check-up on you. He gave me a long list of things he requires me to do so this may take awhile if that’s okay with you?” Hongjoong said while placing the large jug down on the small table in the room and pulling a crumpled piece of paper and a small notebook out of his pocket.

“Yes, yes that is completely fine.” Seonghwa said as he sat back down on his small bed.

Hongjoong was carefully unfolding the paper he had inadvertently crumpled in his pocket, frowning slightly as he looked over the writing.

“Is something wrong?” Seonghwa asked.

“No, it’s just my handwriting is abysmal.” Hongjoong laughed. “You’ll have to bear with me on some of these.”

Hongjoong pulled over the chair in the room so that he was sitting facing Seonghwa, taking in his improved physical condition.

“You’re at least looking well.” He said with a bit of relief.

“Ah yes, I’ve been feeling much better over the past couple of days and my arm has entirely healed.”

“Do you mind if I...?” Hongjoong motioned for Seonghwa to give him his arm.

Eagerly obliging, Seonghwa rolled up his long shirt sleeve showing the pale bare flesh of his arm. Hongjoong gently took a hold of his wrist, carefully turning his arm over to take a closer look. Placing a couple fingers on Seonghwa’s upturned wrist, he felt for his pulse which was much stronger and easier to find than when Yeosang had tried previously. He ran his hand along Seonghwa’s arm but could only feel smooth flesh, not even a single indication that there had been dozens upon dozens of festering wounds there only a day or two before. He made several small noises in sheer amazement on how perfectly normal Seonghwa’s arm now appeared.

Balancing the notepad in his lap, he quickly scribbled down some messy notes while turning Seonghwa’s arm over and back a couple more times just to double check.

Hongjoong let go of his arm and carefully placed one hand against Seonghwa’s forehead to feel his temperature, placing his other hand against his own. As far as he could tell, it felt fairly normal. He noted that as well.

“Wow, Yeosang really did some amazing work, didn’t he?” Hongjoong said in a tone of disbelief.

“He really did and I am truly grateful for all that he’s done for me... and all that you’re doing as well.” Seonghwa said with a bit of a relieved sigh. “San was telling me that you were the only one to give him a job when no one else would. It’s unbelievable.”

“Yeosang is incredibly talented. You can see that for yourself. I don’t know why anyone else would not jump at having him as part of their team. I mean, sure his curse can hinder him a little and his methods can be a little  _ out there _ but his perceptiveness and diagnostic abilities are on another level despite having very little magic ability.” Hongjoong said confidently.

“You must really care for your crew.”

“I truly do. They are my closest friends. I would be nothing without them and could never picture myself with anyone else.”

“About Yeosang though... how is he now?” Seonghwa asked in a cautious tone, not wanting to pry too much.

“It’s hard to say.” Hongjoong said solemnly. “He won’t tell me exactly what is going on and I have no medical or magical background to be able to make an educated guess myself but… but he’s resilient. I’m sure he will pull through this, stronger than before.”

“You must really resent me.” Seonghwa said in a forlorn tone. “For all the damage I have caused to one of your precious friends.”

“Resent you?” Hongjoong said with a huff and a look of shock on his face. “Seonghwa, I could never resent you. You were someone in need and Yeosang made his own choice to sacrifice what he did to help you. You are not at fault here at all.”

Seonghwa hesitated.  “You have a good heart Hongjoong.” He replied quietly.

Hongjoong just gave a small contented smile at Seonghwa’s compliment before quickly throwing himself back into the tasks at hand.

“Anyways, Yeosang gave me instructions for your continued treatment.” Hongjoong commented as he began to flip through the notebook to find the page he needed. “Ah yes, here it is.”

He turned back to look over the small stash of herbs and other various ingredients Yeosang had left on his previous visit.

“Yarrow…. chamomile…. willow bark…” Hongjoong muttered as he began looking over the labels of the small vials, comparing them to his notes. “Mulethi… He said this should help with any on-going internal issues and dehydration.”

Hongjoong gathered all the ingredients on the list and separated them from the rest.

“Both you and San are to mix this with warm water and drink it twice a day.” Hongjoong instructed as he ripped out the page and placed it down on the table. “I will leave this here and you should be able to take care of making it, alright?”

“I’m sure we will have no issue.” Seonghwa replied. “Thank you.”

“Yeosang also informed me that you are under strict orders not to use your magic abilities until he gives the okay.” Hongjoong continued. “But if you are feeling up to it, you can help with meal preparation and other small jobs aboard the ship in the meantime.”

Seonghwa nodded. “Understood. And I would be more than willing to do whatever I can to help, no matter how big or small, until I'm back to my full potential.”

“Great!” Hongjoong said as he shoved his notebook back in his pocket. “I just need to check in with Yunho and I’ll be back in an hour or so to distribute duties to you and San.”

Seonghwa nodded as he picked up the note to begin deciphering Hongjoong’s handwriting in making the outlined concoction.

"Thank you. Again." Seonghwa quickly blurted out. "And give my best to Yeosang."

"I will." With that Hongjoong left the small cabin.

As Hongjoong made his exit, he nearly ran into a sweaty and slightly out of breath San in the narrow hall. San quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, having been caught off guard seeing him leaving their cabin. He gave a slight nod as they passed and San's gaze briefly lingered on him before turning back to enter his cabin.

"Was that Hongjoong just now?" San asked as he walked in and flopped face down on his bed in exhaustion.

"He came to drop off some notes from Yeosang."

Seonghwa was having a difficult time making out Hongjoong's handwriting but he laid out each of the ingredients the best he could, measuring out the indicated amounts into two empty glasses. After pouring in the warm water and giving a quick stir, he took a large drink of one of the concoctions and gave a wince at the taste, double-checking the ingredients list with a concerned look once more. After confirming everything was as it should be and giving a bit of a sigh, he downed the rest and held out the second drink to San.

"Here, drink up." He instructed.

San turned over and sat back up on his bed so he could take the drink. After downing the liquid in a single gulp, San made an equally disgusted face, sticking out his tongue multiple times. He furrowed his brow while looking at the remnants of herbs in the empty glass as he lowered it to the floor of the cabin.   


“Did Hongjoong give any update on Yeosang’s condition?” San asked.

"He didn't really say other than not to worry. His voice did not mask his own concern."

“It must be bad.” San said quietly as he unwrapped a length of cloth he had tied around his hands and wrists to help his grip and prevent blisters from the rigging.

“I fear you may be right.” Seonghwa said with a long sigh.

***

The first night had been the worst for Yeosang. Seonghwa’s flesh curse had taken a strong hold on him and had inadvertently strengthened his own existing curse. Yeosang’s curse ended up taking the one last thing Yeosang had that allowed him to easily succeed: his keen eyesight and perceptiveness. As much as he did not want anyone to know, it had absolutely devastated him.

Hongjoong had given him a long lecture about the use of what he considered “dangerous” black magic as he carefully replaced the bloody bandages wrapped over Yeosang's eyes. But Yeosang stood by his decision, asserting it was a necessary action as much as he might have internally regretted it, even just a little.

"Just… please take care of yourself." Hongjoong pleaded. "I might not have any magic of my own but I swear if you pull another dangerous stunt like this I will curse you myself to only make boring safe spells."

"You wish." Yeosang laughed weakly.

His fingers reached out for Hongjoong, grasping at the air until Hongjoong took a step closer, allowing Yeosang’s fingers to make contact with the fabric of his shirt sleeve. Feeling down the fabric and finding Hongjoong’s hand, Yeosang tightly gripped onto it with both of his own.

"I promise this will pass in a couple days and that you  _ do not _ need to worry about me." Yeosang reassured him, his voice becoming small. "But… thank you for taking care of me… and threatening to kick my ass when I won’t listen to reason."

"If you could see me right now, you'd see me close to tears from your ever-so-eloquent words." Hongjoong said with a playful hint of sarcasm. “But you know I’d never let you go through something like this alone.”

Yeosang gave a small laugh as he squeezed Hongjoong's hand tighter.

***

For three days straight Yeosang had ended up completely blind. Much to Yeosang's growing protests, Hongjoong had opted to spend every spare minute taking care of him and going as far as to sleep on the floor of his cabin to watch over him. 

During the day Hongjoong would help replace the bandages, check Yeosang’s vision to see if there had been any improvement, and do any other menial tasks that Yeosang requested of him. One particular morning, Hongjoong had returned with a large tray of food that had been prepared for him and placed it on Yeosang's lap as he sat in bed.

Yeosang asserted that the least he could do was feed himself and had brushed Hongjoong away. Blindly reaching for the utensils, Yeosang almost instantly made contact with the hot stone bowl, immediately burning his hand with a rude sizzle. He quickly yanked it away with a perturbed gasp, shoving the side of his hand to his mouth to suck on the burn.

"Here, let me." Hongjoong said in a sickeningly sweet tone as he reached down to pick up the spoon, scooping up a large helping of rice and pickled vegetables.

"I absolutely despise this." Yeosang said in a muffled voice, his burned hand still at his lips.

"Move your hand and open up." Hongjoong instructed.

With a defeated sigh Yeosang dropped his throbbing hand to his side and sat there blindly with his mouth open. Hongjoong carefully maneuvered the spoon to Yeosang's mouth, holding his free hand underneath to catch anything that may fall. Yeosang reluctantly took the bite of food.

"Thank you." He said sheepishly, swallowing down the large portion he had been presented with.

Hongjoong just laughed as he wiped a stray grain of rice off Yeosang's bottom lip.

While daytime tasks were easy enough, at night Hongjoong's anxiety had increased so much—due to the internal stress of the situation that he was desperately attempting to repress—he barely slept. His night terrors had returned again, often waking him from his sleep in a cold sweat and not allowing him to fall back under. Instead, during this time Hongjoong spent much longer than necessary scrubbing the magic circle from the cabin floor in the dead of the night in hopes that he would tire himself out enough to pass out.

The second time he awoke with a startle, he woke Yeosang as well.

"Hongjoong? You okay?" Yeosang grumbled.

"Yeah…" Hongjoong sighed, rubbing his face and anxiously running his hands through his hair.

"Dreams again?"

"Yeah…" Hongjoong repeated defeatedly.

"Go over to my desk." Yeosang instructed lazily. "Second drawer, blue vile. Take a swig of that and it'll knock you out for the rest of the night. Guarantee."

Hongjoong contemplated Yeosang's instructions but didn't move from his place on the floor, instead just rolling onto his side and pretending to make some noise by rummaging through the books piled on the floor. His anxiety had caused him to fear taking anything that could cause him to dull any of his senses and he knew Yeosang's elixirs were sometimes violently potent and could easily drop a savanna beast for a week.

"You find it?"

"Mmhmm." Hongjoong lied.

"Good, now get some sleep." Yeosang said with a yawn before he rolled over and nodded off once more, leaving Hongjoong awake with his thoughts.

***

On the fourth day during Hongjoong’s morning check-up, it was discovered that Yeosang had slowly regained sight in his right eye. However, the scarring around his birthmarks and left eye had continued to increase and he made the choice to start wearing a large leather eyepatch that covered from his cheekbone to his brow bone to allow him to heal while also going about his duties on the ship. He knew the effects of the flesh curse would continue to fade but the partial loss of eyesight was still hindering him greatly. As much as he might have lied and assured Hongjoong he was fine now, he was at least convincing enough to evict him from his cabin, allowing him to have some peace and quiet alone.

During this time Wooyoung had become increasingly worried and somewhat hostile when Hongjoong wasn’t returning to his cabin to sleep at night and he had barely heard from either him or Yeosang in days. 

While Hongjoong had handled the events of the incident with a cool head, Wooyoung was the exact opposite.

Eventually Wooyoung lost his cool and confronted Seonghwa in the hallway, roughly grabbing onto the collar of his shirt and shoving him up against the outer wall of one of the cabins.

“The fuck did you do to Hongjoong and Yeosang?” Wooyoung growled.

“I—” Seonghwa tried to speak but Wooyoung immediately cut him off again.

“I knew it was a horrible idea to trust a magic user like you.” He spat at Seonghwa’s feet.

“I don't know of Yeosang’s condition anymore that you do. And I assure you, I may be a magic user but I inflicted no harm upon him.” Seonghwa said calmly. “Please unhand me. I would hate for you to get hurt.”

“Is that a threat?” Wooyoung cockily raised his eyebrows.

“No, merely a precaution.” Seonghwa continued. “If San were to catch you trying to harm me… I don’t know if I would be able to stop his actions.”

Wooyoung clicked his tongue, remembering the events upon their first meeting at the marketplace. San had barely needed a second to react with near lethal force. Rethinking his actions, Wooyoung slowly let go of Seonghwa and backed away.

“Maybe it’s time to get a tighter leash for your guard dog then.” He muttered.

“I do not appreciate you talking about San in that manner.” Seonghwa continued, lightning flashed far off in the distance.

Wooyoung flinched slightly as he noticed it out of the corner of his eye but assumed it was merely coincidence.

“Well I don’t appreciate you destroying the physical and mental well-being of our crew members.” Wooyoung spat back.

Suddenly there was the loud crashing of a door slamming open.

“Wooyoung!” A voice called sternly from behind them. “Leave him be." 

Both of them turned to see Yeosang standing there, having heard their arguing and emerged from his cabin donning his new eyepatch. While Yeosang had once had a shy and child-like innocence about his look, the eyepatch, his descheleved clothes and the way his hair was now parted out of his face gave him a rather intimidating aura.

"And Seonghwa, you are absolutely forbidden from using any magic until I deem you medically fit to do so, did I not make myself clear?" He scolded in a cold tone.

"My apologies." Seonghwa muttered, the once dark sky on the horizon lightening again.

“Yeosang… what happened to you? What did this punk do to you?!” Wooyoung asked, taking in Yeosang’s new appearance as he cautiously approached him.

“I’m fine.” Yeosang said, brushing off his advances. “Seonghwa did nothing to harm me. I used some questionable magic and had a spell slightly backfire. My injury is no fault of anyone but myself.”

"But Yeo—" Wooyoung tried to blurt out.

"Now quit your bickering and  _ let me rest _ ." Yeosang replied coldly. “If you have an issue, take it up with Hongjoong.”

Both Wooyoung and Seonghwa apologized again as Yeosang retreated back into his cabin. Wooyoung gave Seonghwa one last glare before stalking off to find Hongjoong. 

“At least San is  _ useful _ aboard this ship.” He muttered the jab at Seonghwa under his breath as he passed by.

Not too long after the confrontation with Wooyoung, Seonghwa had doubled back and returned to Yeosang’s cabin. He needed to make sure Yeosang truly was alright but after the incident earlier Yeosang seemed to not be in any sort of mood to discuss it. The least he could do, he figured, was to make a small peace offering.

Knocking on the cabin door, he hesitated slightly. “Yeosang? It’s Seongwha…”

“Come in.” A voice called from inside.

After carefully slipping into the cabin and gently closing the door behind him, Seonghwa could see Yeosang laying on his small bed, his palm pressed firmly against his right eye in a manner one might use to stave off a bad headache. The eyepatch remained covering his left eye. With a deep sigh, Yeosang pulled himself up into a sitting position, lowering his hand and blinking heavily as his vision focused on Seonghwa.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Yeosang said in a tired voice. “I have to say you’re looking much better.”

“I am, thank you.” Seonghwa said quietly. “I just wanted to give you a token of thanks.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small pouch and handed it over to Yeosang.

“What is this?” Yeosang asked curiously as he shakily untied the strings holding the pouch closed.

Giving the bag a small shake, out tumbled half a dozen shiny black scales onto Yeosang’s open palm. Yeosang held them up in front of his good eye, carefully looking them over before focusing his eyesight back on Seonghwa.

“Are these yours?”

Seonghwa nodded. “I figured it was the least I could do. The scales of merfolk tend to be in quite high demand from most magic users so I thought—”

“Thank you but this isn’t necessary.” Yeosang said as he gently tipped the scales back into the pouch as his hand tremors made the simple task much more difficult than it should have been. “I was merely doing my sworn duty, I do not require any sort of payment.”

“But you were injured…” Seonghwa dropped to his knees, head hung low and hands balling the fabric of his pants. “Please, I beg your forgiveness.”

“Get up. You look ridiculous.” Yeosang replied curtly.

Yeosang’s comment took Seonghwa by surprise and shuffled back to his feet.

“You and Hongjoong are so frustratingly similar with your bleeding heart mentalities.” Yeosang muttered with an agitated sigh. “You do not need to apologize. But I’ll accept your unnecessary apology so that it doesn’t leave you lying awake at night stewing over it, alright?”

Seonghwa nodded. “Understood.”

“I’m just happy that you’re doing so much better.” Yeosang continued with a light smile. “In no time at all I would expect you to be back to normal.”

“I hope the same for you as well. However I still fear what a shift will bring as it will eventually be necessary to do so but—”

“We will get to that hurdle when we get to it.” Yeosang cut him off with a raised hand. “Let us just relish in your good health the time being.”

Seonghwa just nodded again and took Yeosang’s advice to heart. He knew it would be foolish to push the subject and he really should just be happy that he’s up and out of bed, finally on the road to recovery.

***

Eventually both Seonghwa and Yeosang became more active with duties aboard the ship as their health improved. There was much chatter between the crew speculating as to what had happened to Yeosang’s eye but no one dared to question him about it. The crew also slowly started to ease into Seonghwa’s presence much like how they had done with San. 

When a week had passed, Yeosang finally gave Seonghwa the all-clear to use his magic again. However, he still cautioned on using it sparingly so as not to exhaust himself too quickly. It would have been an understatement to say the crew were not blown away by the immense powers Seonghwa was capable of unleashing when an opportunity to use it finally arose. 

Hongjoong had been discussing with Seonghwa their current plotted course and their next port of call when Jongho came rushing into the room.

“Captain, we have a major problem!” He blurted out. “You gotta come see this.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong gave each other nervous looks before quickling following him above deck.

Hongjoong quickly readied himself for the worst, trying to keep his nerves under control when he stepped out onto the open deck. At first it was difficult to figure out just what was wrong until he heard it. There was no wind. The waters around them were also eerily still.

“We were going fine at around three knots then all of a sudden everything just… stopped.” Jongho said in an exasperated tone as he walked over to the side railing and looked at the still waters below.

“This is quite odd.” Seonghwa muttered, walking over to join him.

Hongjoong’s body would not allow him to take a step closer to the edge, nor did he really want to look at the expanse of sea below but he knew he had to devise a plan of action quickly.

“I fear the ship will become dead in the water within the hour unless conditions improve.” Jongho whined nervously.

“I think I can be of service.” Seonghwa commented, turning to look back at Hongjoong.

Hongjoong’s eyes suddenly lit up in excitement. “That’s right! You’re a tempestarii!”

“Have them prep the sails. I’ll get us moving again.” Seonghwa said confidently with a smile.

Hongjoong didn’t hesitate to give the order and the crew members quickly went to work unfurling every sail on the ship. Seonghwa saw firsthand just how seamlessly San fit in with the rest of the crew, scaling the rigging to help drop the mainsail in a matter of minutes before swinging over to the next. It wasn’t long at all before everything was set. Seonghwa had Hongjoong usher everyone either to the back cabins or below deck for their own safety as he took centerstage to unleash his powers, steadying himself on the main deck.

“Seonghwa!” San called in a shrill voice from the open door to the cabins.

Seonghwa turned back to face him with raised eyebrows.

“Show ‘em what you’re really made of!” San loudly cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

With a hearty laugh Seonghwa turned back around, cracking his fingers and giving his neck a bit of a roll. Many of the crew members had pressed themselves up against the small windows that separated the cabins from the main deck to watch while a couple others peeked out through open hatches in the lower deck.

He took a brief moment to collect himself as it had been quite awhile since he had used his powers and he prayed that his cracked pendant wouldn’t hinder him in this time of need.

Stepping forward with a series of sweeping arm movements dozens of cumulus clouds began forming in the sky above them as the wind picked up and swirled around the ship. Within seconds the full force of the wind fiercely rushed past him, ruffling his clothes and hair as the sails filled, straining against the rigging and lurching the ship forward. Seonghwa kept at it for close to half an hour, increasing the winds again and again until they were safely in more favorable waters and were able to continue on their way with barely a delay. 

“Wow Seonghwa, you really are something!” Yunho exclaimed happily when Seonghwa returned below deck again and was warmly greeted by the others.

“I told you he was amazing.” San commented in a gloating tone, giving Yunho a playful jab with his elbow.

“It was really nothing.” Seonghwa smiled, brushing off the compliment.

“No he’s right, that really was incredible!” Hongjoong added with a laugh. “San also hasn’t stopped talking about your powers every chance he gets. I’m glad you really got to showcase them.”

Seonghwa was quickly surrounded by the crew with playful slaps on the back and shoulders and slews of compliments and offers to buy him a drink next time they made port. Even Wooyoung, as hard-headed as he had been about Seonghwa’s magic use, had seemed at least mildly impressed. Deep down Seonghwa deeply cherished the praise he received from the crew and Hongjoong alike and his smile didn’t fade for hours. 

As slow as the transition was, he was finally starting to feel more connected to the members of the crew; feeling that he and San were less like feared outcasts and more like a part of a larger family.

Hongjoong was happy the crew was finally accepting them as well. He could only hope that it would be smooth sailing from here on out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated the tags a bit and will continue to do so as the story progresses.  
> Also finally committed to an estimated length. Will I stick to it? Am I lying to myself? Who knows!

The sea had become particularly rough and Seonghwa was having trouble sleeping. As the ship tossed and turned in the large swells, almost everyone else on the ship who was used to the motion was fast asleep. Even San was deep asleep for the time being. It wasn’t until they crested a massive wave that the ship lurched violently to one side, causing San to go tumbling out of his bed onto the floor. An instinctive urge to suddenly brace himself against the wall of the cabin was the only thing that had kept Seonghwa from being thrown to the floor as well.

San let out a small whimper as he struggled to pick himself up off the floor, stumbling as he tried to climb back into bed.

“Seonghwa?” He mumbled as he buried himself back under the mass of blankets he had accumulated.

“Mmhmm?” Seonghwa hummed in reply.

“Can you take care of this?” San asked in a small, tired voice while making a vague hand gesture at his surroundings.

Seonghwa took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He knew exactly what San meant but there was no way he would be able to attempt to effectively control such rough seas from the confines of the small cabin. He could at least try and calm the storm a little but first he would have to go somewhere where there was more space. It was easy enough to conjure some thunder or lightning from the confines of his bed but the sea was a completely different monster altogether. Reluctantly he flung off his blankets and dragged himself out of bed. Giving San a light pat on the head, he stumbled slightly when the ship gave another lurch as he made his way towards the cabin door.

“Hmm thank you.” San hummed as he nuzzled his face into his pillow and fell back asleep.

As Seonghwa tried to navigate the small hallways, the ship tossed violently from one side to the other causing his body to slam into a wall. He cursed under his breath but he had already made it this far and he had a duty to the crew to try his best to provide safe sailing conditions.

He eventually reached the lower hold after much struggle. This area would definitely suffice in providing the space he needed to work his magic but something was urging him to head above deck instead. He knew it was impossibly dangerous up there… but it had been nearly a month since he last shifted and the call of the sea and the smell of the salt water was too great to resist. Maybe he could head out there to savour it... just for a moment. Then he could retreat to the safety of the ship.

Wrenching the heavy door leading to the deck open, the powerful winds quickly yanked it from his grasp, causing it to crash against the wall with a disastrous bang. Seonghwa prayed that it had not woken anyone as he struggled to close it again once out on the deck, wind and rain whipping his hair and clothes. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have prepared better before coming on deck as he was entirely underdressed and the combination of rain and cold sea spray had drenched him almost instantly.

But at the same time, he did not hate it. In fact, he enjoyed the feel of the water on his skin.

Cautiously he made his way towards the main mast where he would have something to hold onto and anchor him in place as the ship continued to violently sway. His bare feet slipped on the wet wood making the trip slightly treacherous but he eventually made it and wrapped one of the loose rigging ropes tightly around his wrist, bracing his body against the mast.

He momentarily closed his eyes, the ocean spray immediately started to invigorate him. It wasn’t long before he found himself completely forgetting about the task at hand, just letting the waters wash over him. The waves had calmed ever so slightly allowing him to hold steadfast in his position as the storm swirled around him. He took in every morsel of the sea as he could, feeling the healing effects from it on his weary body, even in such small quantities. 

Quickly becoming stuck in his own head, bewitched by the sea, Seonghwa completely lost all sense of how long he was truly out there.

Meanwhile below deck, having been thrown from a restless sleep due to a conbination of the turbulent waters and the loud noise of the deck door, Hongjoong had gone to seek out Seonghwa. He thought maybe he would be able to help settle this storm. He paid his cabin a visit, cracking the door open ever-so-slightly when there was no answer to his knocking only to notice Seonghwa’s bed empty. 

He checked the other shared areas of the ship but there was no sign of Seonghwa and Hongjoong began to become increasingly more worried as to where he might have been. As much as he did not want to be anywhere near the open deck in this weather, a small voice in the back of his mind nagged him to check to see if Seonghwa might be there. 

Reluctantly making his way to the door leading to the deck and wrenching it open, he was shocked to see Seonghwa standing stark still and unbothered in the middle of the chaotic storm.

“Seonghwa!” Hongjoong called hoarsely from the open door in a panic. “It’s too dangerous! SEONGHWA!”

The crashing of the rain and the waves was so loud that Seongwha could not hear his shouts.

Against any sort of better judgement Hongjoong gathered up the remainder of his nerves, took a deep breath and headed out on the deck to try to bring him back inside. His heart was pounding at an incredible rate within his chest but he couldn’t just leave Seonghwa out there. It was his duty as captain to keep his crew safe. He had barely taken a couple steps when the ship heaved, knocking him off his feet as he let out a terrified yelp.

_ Seonghwa! _

That time Hongjoong’s cry was crystal clear in Seonghwa’s mind. He finally opened his eyes to face the source of the noise only to be confronted with Hongjoong frantically sliding towards him. Arms flailing, Hongjoong clambered to try and grip onto anything he could but it was no use. Seonghwa jolted into action and made a grab for Hongjoong. He luckily was able to grab onto his wrist at the last moment, halting his movement just before Hongjoong slid into the wall separating the main deck from the bow. Seonghwa’s muscles screamed in protest as he tightened his grip and braced against the slanting of the ship.

“Hongjoong hold on!” Seonghwa yelled over the sound of the waves as he tried to go back to focusing his energy on calming the storm around them.

The rain and wind let up almost immediately but the perpetual motion of the sea was another force to deal with. 

A large wave washed over the deck causing both of them to begin to slide down towards the stern, Hongjoong gasping and sputtering from the saltwater overtaking him. Seonghwa could see the fear in Hongjoong’s eyes and made every effort to hold on as Hongjoong fumbled to grip Seonghwa’s arm with both hands, trying desperately to pull himself closer. 

When the ship hit another large swell, they were violently tossed across the deck a second time. During the storm, a heavy wooden pulley had broken free from its hold, violently swinging in the wind and coming dangerously close to the both of them. 

“You need to get back inside!” Seonghwa yelled, his focus being split between Hongjoong and the sea, being able to effectively manage neither.

In that instant Hongjoong’s luck had run out as the pulley whipped around again, Seonghwa was just barely able to dodge it but instead it collided with Hongjoong careening into the back of his head. Immediately he was knocked unconscious and Seonghwa could feel his grip loosen on his arm. Seonghwa desperately tried to cling onto Hongjoong’s shirt sleeve but it was quickly pulling from his grasp. Seonghwa gritted his teeth as his nails snagged on the wet fabric.

One more lurch from the ship and Hongjoong was ripped free of Seonghwa’s grasp. Everything suddenly felt like it was moving in slow motion. Seonghwa could only watch, eyes wide in fear as the waves slammed Hongjoong into the side railing of the deck, sweeping him up again and knocking him overboard.

“HONGJOONG!” He cried as he clambered after him knowing very well that Hongjoong would be otherwise doomed by himself in the open sea. There was no way he could survive such rough waters.

There was no time to hesitate. Seonghwa let go of the rope that had been previously keeping him safe and took a bounding leap towards the rail, immediately vaulting himself over it and diving into the freezing waters below.

His human form was sluggish and painfully slow and he choked as the salt water entered his lungs. Hongjoong helplessly floated just out of reach and was being swept further away by the second. He knew he had no other choice but to shift if he wanted any sort of fighting chance for either of them surviving.

It took him much longer than he had hoped to shift and resurface in order to locate Hongjoong who kept drifting in and out of consciousness as well as further and further away, constantly sinking under the surface and disappearing from his sight. Seonghwa prayed that he wasn't too late. 

When he did find him again, Hongjoong had been plunged several feet under the surface by the rough currents. He quickly wrapped his arms around Hongjoong's chest, swimming upwards as fast as he could. Hongjoong was still breathing, coughing and sputtering when he reached the air again, but he was in otherwise rough shape and barely conscious.

It was much more difficult getting back onto the ship. Seonghwa struggled fighting against the current while also carrying Hongjoong and making sure to keep him above the surface as much as possible. After what seemed like an excruciatingly long time he was finally able to time the swells just right so that they would wash them back on board. 

The wave peaked above the ship and Seonghwa knew this was their only chance. Holding tightly onto Hongjoong’s body, he immediately started to shift back to his human form, a process that he completed much too quickly. As the wave crashed down on the deck, so did the bodies of Seonghwa and Hongjoong as they tumbled across the wood deck, only stopping when Seonghwa was able to grab onto the mast rigging once more.

Finally being able to focus, Seonghwa was absolutely at his wit’s end. He expended the last of his energy with a mighty cry in an attempt to quell the sea around them. In an instant everything suddenly became eerily quiet.

Exhausted, he dropped to his knees beside Hongjoong and quickly checked for any sign of vitals. They were there but they were horribly faint.

“No! No no no.” He muttered to himself as he quickly scooped Hongjoong back up into his arms and attempted to rush him back inside the ship.

By this point Seonghwas was running on pure adrenaline alone as his physical health was deteriorating by the minute due to the effects of his cracked pendant.

“Yeosang! Wooyoung! Anyone! Help!” Seonghwa cried hoarsely as he carried Hongjoong.

Yeosang was quick to wake and stumbled into the hall.

“What's wrong?” He groggily asked in a mild panic.

“It's Hongjoong!” Seonghwa cried. “He fell ov—he’s injured!”

“What?!” Yeosang said in disbelief.

“Quick! Help him!” Seonghwa pleaded.

Yeosang frantically motioned for Seonghwa to lay him on the floor of the hall and he quickly surveyed the damage, getting to work doing life saving procedures on Hongjoong's near-lifeless body.

Wooyoung had awoken by this point and had come to investigate what all the commotion was.

“Seonghwa... why the  _ hell _ are you soak—” His voice trailed off when he saw the bloodied Hongjoong laying in a puddle on the floor, Yeosang working tirelessly giving him mouth to mouth. “W-what happened?!”

Wooyoung went to rush over to them but Seonghwa held him back.

“Let Yeosang work!” Seonghwa scolded. “Hongjoong got injured out on the deck.”

“What? How? Why was he out there in the first place?! He hates it out there!”

Suddenly Hongjoong gave a sputter and burst into a flurry of coughs.

“Thank the gods.” Yeosang breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat that had formed across his brow with the back of his sleeve as he sat back on his knees.

“Hongjoong!” Wooyoung cried, pushing past Seonghwa and throwing himself at him, pulling him into a crushing hug.

“Ow ow ow ow! Not so tight.” Hongjoong groaned hoarsely.

Wooyoung quickly let go, shuffling back to give him space while eying his soaking wet clothes and the blood stains on his collar. Hongjoong slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, Yeosang was hovering his hands over him, making sure he didn’t suddenly collapse. He gave another series of coughs while giving his shoulder a painful roll, gritting his teeth as he did so.

“Ahhh…” He let out a small wince in pain as he felt the gash on the back of his head, bringing his hand in front of him and cringing at the blood on his fingers.

“Let me see.” Yeosang cooed as he gently lifted up Hongjoong’s damp hair to reveal the nasty cut.

Yeosang inhaled sharply. “It’s deep, it’s probably going to need a couple stitches.”

“What the hell happened?” Wooyoung asked, crowding in on Hongjoong’s space once more.

“Let him recover!” Seonghwa hissed. “Yeosang, please take him to the infirmary for treatment.”

“You giving orders now or something?” Wooyoung said coldly, whipping back to glare at Seonghwa.

“It's fine, Wooyoung.” Hongjoong said with a hoarse cough. “He’s right, Yeosang needs to work his magic… literally or figuratively or whatever he needs to do.”

Wooyoung just rolled his eyes at Seonghwa and turned back to give his attention to Hongjoong. Yeosang and Wooyoung cautiously hoisted Hongjoong to his feet, helping him down the hall and into Yeosang’s cabin for treatment.

The adrenaline was beginning to wear off and Seonghwa was mentally berating himself for letting anything happen to Hongjoong. He had really thought the rain would have done him some good but now after shifting back and forth so quickly he felt so much more pain that he could have ever fathomed. He attempted to head back to his cabin but he had only taken a couple steps before he crumpled to the floor, doubling over in pain and tightly holding onto his sides.

Having heard the commotion but being extremely slow to react, San drowsily opened the door from their cabin and peered out into the hall. He quickly went into a panic when his eyes fell upon Seonghwa slumped on the ground.

“Seonghwa!” He cried as he frantically ran over to him. “What happened?! Are you alright?!”

“I'm fine. The pain will subside eventually.” Seonghwa replied dryly while brushing off San's attempt to comfort him. “Just... help me back to our cabin.”

San nodded and quietly helped carry him down the hall. The pain was nearly overwhelming and Seonghwa immediately collapsed on his bed with a long painful groan.

“You shifted didn't you.” San commented quietly, sitting on his own bed across the room. “I know you did. Your condition these days... it’s always worse afterwards. Yeosang might have lessened the curse but your pendant—”

“I know. I just need rest. Please just leave me be.” Seonghwa said in a mildly agitated yet pained voice.

“Seonghwa you know I can't do that.” San said as he shuffled over to Seonghwa’s bedside and knelt down beside it. “Why did you shift? In open waters no less. What the hell was so important that you risked your health over it?!”

“Hongjoong.” Seonghwa replied curtly. “Now please stop.”

“...Hongjoong?” San replied with a hint of betrayal in his voice.

“I said stop.” Seonghwa retorted as anger grew in his voice, rolling onto his back and bringing his arm up to lay over his eyes in an attempt to block out the dim candlelight from the room.

“You can't be serious. Shifting back and forth so quickly could have killed you. Shifting in the open sea,  _ where you’re banned from _ could have gotten you killed. You could have  _ died! _ ”

“I said STOP.” Seonghwa snarled, sitting bolt upright and immediately flinching in pain before collapsing back on the bed again. 

“Seonghwa…” San’s expression was filled with devastation.

“Get out.” He growled in a low voice, eyes glaring fiercely. “I cannot stand to listen to your nagging a minute longer.”

San seemed increasingly hurt by Seonghwa's words but quickly got up and left the cabin without another word. Seonghwa rolled over on the bed again and tried to focus on literally anything to take his mind off of the shooting abdominal pain that was consuming his entire body.

On the other side of the ship Yeosang was trying to patch-up Hongjoong but Wooyoung was aggressively pacing the small cabin, trying to get answers out of him as to what exactly had happened. Yeosang had an inkling suspicion as to what might have happened due to it being fairly evident to him that Hongjoong had ended up in the sea at some point and was not simply injured while on deck. But he knew that Wooyoung didn't know what Seonghwa was and he wasn't even sure if Hongjoong knew but he knew that he couldn't just accidentally reveal that secret at such a fragile time. 

Hongjoong awkwardly sat on the edge Yeosang’s desk, head craned forward while holding up his hair with one hand so Yeosang could clean the wound and stitch him back up. His other arm had been put in a sling as it turned out he had dislocated his shoulder, most likely when he rammed into the sidewall of the ship.

“This will sting a bit.” Yeosang muttered as he dabbed a cotton ball doused in some sort of disinfecting liquid against the large cut on the back of Hongjoong’s head.

Hongjoong inhaled sharply at the sensation.

“Hongjoong, you need to deal with this. He’s a danger to us!” Wooyoung rambled, going on his fourth or fifth tangent about his dislike of Seonghwa and magic users.

“I’m going to have to stitch this up, two stitches max, I’ll try my best to make it quick.” Yeosang continued, trying his best to ignore Wooyoung’s agitated buzzing in his ear.

Yeosang carefully threaded the needle, which turned out to be much more difficult with only one good eye as his hands shook terribly.

“Wooyoung, get that stick with the leather around it on the middle shelf.” Yeosang instructed. “Hongjoong will need something to bite down on.”

“We don’t even know his background! Why was he  _ really _ fleeing?” Wooyoung continued as he fetched the item Yeosang indicated and roughly shoved it in Hongjoong’s mouth.

Hongjoong let out a small noise in protest as Wooyoung continued rambling. He was all too quickly distracted when Yeosang began his work stitching him up.

However, Yeosang could not focus on the delicate task at hand as Wooyoung drilled Hongjoong and he was quickly losing his patience. Both Yeosang and Hongjoong were getting visibly exhausted by it. Yeosang buckled finally and put a full stop to it, sending Wooyoung out to go find Seonghwa and bring him to the infirmary. Wooyoung left with a grumble, reluctantly doing as he was told.

“Now, can you explain to  _ me _ just what happened.” Yeosang said calmly as he finished up, removing the stick from Hongjoong’s mouth and re-taking his vitals.

“I saw Seonghwa out there in the middle of the storm. He shouldn’t have been out there. Not alone, not in this storm. Even if he  _ can _ control the weather it was way too dangerous. I didn’t want him ending up drowned so I tried to call him back inside but he couldn't hear me.” Hongjoong recounted, still giving a cough here and there, pressing his temple as if it would help him remember better. 

“Against better judgement, I headed out on deck. I barely took a step and next thing I knew I was knocked off my feet. Seonghwa tried to grab me but then… I must have blacked out.” Hongjoong tenderly reached at the back of his now-bandaged head. “I could have only been out for a few moments but when I came-to I was in the water. I was immediately dragged under. But then... Seonghwa was there again… and that’s all I remember before waking up laying on the floor.”

“You were swept overboard and Seonghwa saved you?” Yeosang asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I... I guess? I don't know I blacked out again at that point. But I—” Hongjoong said giving his head a shake. “No, you'll think I'm crazy if I say it.”

“What is it?” Yeosang asked.

“I feel like I’m having deja vu is all.”

“I wouldn't be surprised if you were just reliving the trauma of your youth and projecting it onto this scenario as well.” Yeosang said nonchalantly as he cleaned his medical instruments.

“Hey Yeosang!” Wooyoung called loudly from the door.

Yeosang and Hongjoong both turned to face him.

“Seonghwa ain't coming.”

“Why is that?” Yeosang asked calmly.

“I don't know but he's acting like he's dying or something.” Wooyoung replied with a huff.

“What?” Yeosang in mild confusion.

Wooyoung shrugged, his apathy was astounding compared to the news he was trying to convey. “There's a bunch of blood and stuff.”

At the mention of blood, Yeosang immediately scrambled to his feet, grabbing his book bag and rushing down the hall to Seonghwa's cabin. There he found Seonghwa doubled over in bed having coughed up a concerning amount of blood which was now staining his lips and chin and all down the front of his shirt.

“Seonghwa what happened?!” Yeosang cried in disbelief.

“It's fine.” Seonghwa wheezed. “This is only temporary. It has happened before. I will be fine in a couple hours.”

“What... but... how? I thought I got rid of the effects of the flesh curse.” Yeosang stuttered, his hands instinctively shaking in front of him because he couldn't even fathom what was going on.

“You did. But because of my cracked pendant this is now part of my permanent condition. You know,  _ that _ condition.” Seonghwa said, giving Yeosang a look. “I shifted back and forth much too quickly in order to save Hongjoong and now things... need time to heal.”

“Shifted?” Hongjoong said curiously from the door, having followed Yeosang and overheard his name.

Yeosang startled, giving a bit of a jump as Hongjoong had taken him completely by surprise due to his lack of peripheral vision.

“Shit.” Seonghwa cursed, noticing Hongjoong standing there and quickly wiping the blood from his face in a panic.

“Yes, uh, Seonghwa has a, uh, an ulcer that I have been treating,” Yeosang quickly lied, “And the stunt he just pulled shifted his internal organs too vigorously and now I need to stop the internal bleeding so if you would please let us be I will be back to tend to you momentarily.”

Yeosang quickly set his bag down while ushering Hongjoong back out of the door and closing it in front of him. Yeosang tilted his head to the side and whipped around to give Seonghwa a glare.

“Are you really that bad at keeping your own secret?” Yeosang hissed in a low voice so Hongjoong wouldn't be able to hear him from the other side of the door.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa replied quietly. “I’m sorry. I am usually much more careful but this pain... I just can't think straight.”

“Where is San?” Yeosang asked as he pulled out a dozen different bottles from his bag. “Wasn't he helping to look after you?”

“We—I sent him away.” Seonghwa said with a groan in pain as he laid back down. “I just could not deal with him constantly nagging me over my condition right now.”

“Sounds a lot like Wooyoung.” Yeosang muttered under his breath with a sigh.

He opened a notebook and laid it out in front of him.

“Speaking of condition, what were you doing out on the deck in the middle of the storm?” Yeosang asked as he continued pulling out little things from his bag, mixing one thing here and there.

“I went to calm down the seas a bit—”

“Couldn’t you have easily controlled the worst of it from below deck?”

“I could have... but the rain just felt so nice.” Seonghwa said with a sigh. “It's the one thing that can make me temporarily feel normal in this body. I guess I just lost myself for a moment out there.”

“You could have gotten yourself or Hongjoong—who was attempting to bring you back—killed.” Yeosang said sternly while half distracted by his work.

“I know, I was stupid and should have been more diligent and taken better precautions. But I assumed everyone was asleep. I was not expecting Hongjoong to make an appearance.” Seonghwa let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. I am now paying the price for my stupid act but Hongjoong is safe so we are fine.”

“Hongjoong just suffered a dislocated shoulder, lacerations to his head and won't be able to sleep for the next month due to the posttraumatic stress but as long as you got to feel ‘normal’ for fifteen minutes before obliterating your internal organs, that's all that matters right?” Yeosang said coldly.

“What?” Seonghwa blurted out in confusion, not realizing Hongjoong’s injuries, mentally and physically were as bad as they were.

“It's not my place to share Hongjoong's mental trauma but just know that everything isn't ‘fine’ just because you saved him. I’m glad that both of you are safe now… but things definitely aren’t ‘fine.’ The both of you are far too reckless for your own good.”

Seonghwa stared at the floor in silence.

Yeosang was now flipping through the notebook and working on several different remedies at the same time. After about fifteen minutes he closed his books and added the final ingredients to the three small vials in front of him. He picked them up and passed them to Seonghwa.

“Here, this one will stop the internal bleeding.” Yeosang said, passing him the first vial. “It packs a bit of a punch and you'll feel like shit for a couple days but honestly you probably deserve it for the stunt you pulled.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said with a reluctant sigh.

“This second one will help dull the pain, and this third one I would recommend rationing in small amounts as you'll need it for the severe nausea you'll experience from the first remedy.”

Seonghwa downed the first and nearly vomited in disgust and quickly downed the second while placing the third next to his bed for the inevitable need.

“Yeosang, I'm sorry...” Seonghwa rasped out, between cringes from the remedies working their magic.

“I am not the one you should be apologizing to.” Yeosang said calmly. “I'll have Yunho bring down some new clothes for you as you can't stay in that bloody mess. Now go clean yourself up before you're incapable of leaving your bed, I give it about twenty minutes.”

Seonghwa solemnly nodded as Yeosang packed up his things.

“Now where did Hongjoong run off to? I swear if he’s already ripped out his stitches...” Yeosang muttered to himself as he headed out into the hall.

***

Wooyoung was still angry about the whole situation with Seonghwa and Hongjoong and did not like being kept in the dark about whatever was going on. He did not trust Seonghwa in the slightest since the moment he was brought on board and he hated even more that Hongjoong seemed to just blindly trust and protect him. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was a sixth sense but Wooyoung just couldn't shake the hatred he felt towards him.

As the storm had passed, he made his way out onto the deck to get some air, thinking he could clear his head. He wandered the lower deck for a few minutes before he climbed the stairs to the upper deck. He was surprised to see someone else sitting at the stern of the ship. Upon closer approach he noticed that it was San.

“I was not expecting to find you up here.” Wooyoung said with a bit of a tone. “Shouldn’t you be below deck trailing Seonghwa’s every move?”

San gave a bit of a startled snuffle and rubbed his eyes with the back on his hands.

“I'll leave.” He said quietly, voice cracking as he did so.

“Were you crying?” Wooyoung asked abruptly, taking note of San’s unusual demeanor.

“ _ No _ .” San lied, a hint of anger in his voice while glaring up at Wooyoung with puffy red eyes.

San slowly got up to leave but Wooyoung pushed him back down.

“Hey, tell me what happened.” Wooyoung said, his tone softening as he sat down beside him. “It wasn't that asshole Seonghwa, was it?”

San sighed as he pulled his knees in close to his chest. “He's not an asshole. He's just... going through a lot right now. He's normally a very kind person but... I ruined things.”

“What did you do?” Wooyoung asked, leaning back against the railing of the ship.

“I’m the reason he was cursed.” San said curtly.

“What?” Wooyoung said, abruptly sitting forward and becoming very wary of him. “You’re not a magic user too, are you?”

“No, no it’s not like that… Ughhh! It's complicated!” San blurted out in frustration while angrily ruffling his hair.

“Well you better start explaining.”

“I never meant for it to happen! I swear! I was just trying to help but I made a series of really stupid mistakes and pissed off a coven of witches. Seonghwa tried to make it right but ended up getting hurt in the process and it's all my fault. I should have been the one cursed, not him. Now we’ve lost our home and everything is strained and he has been slowly distancing himself and it's slowly killing me.”

“I mean, it seems to be slowly killing him as well.” Wooyoung said sarcastically under his breath.

“What?” San hissed, turning to Wooyoung with a look of desperation in his eyes.

“I mean there was a lot of blood... but I wouldn't go down there. Yeosang is taking care of it.” Wooyoung said casually in an attempt to calm San down again.

San bolted to his feet and paced in a few erratic circles, torn as to whether he should go to Seonghwa or not. But he remembered how Seonghwa had told him to leave him alone so adamantly and how angry he had gotten over San’s persistence. San slumped back down beside Wooyoung with a bit of a defeated whine. He didn’t want to widen the growing rift between Seonghwa and himself.

“You're right.” San said with a forlorn sigh. “Yeosang doesn't need me in there crowding him and making things worse. I'm sure things will be fine. It's just his ... _ condition _ .”

“Don’t worry. Yeosang is the best there is.” Wooyoung said reassuringly, giving San a pat on the shoulder. “I mean, the tremors are a bit of a downside and the last time he had to stitch me up it took over an hour and I nearly passed out from the pain… but he really knows his stuff!”

“You’re  _ really _ bad at words.” San said while giving Wooyoung a blank stare.

A long, awkward silence came over them as Wooyoung’s face flushed with mild embarrassment from San’s rather true statement. 

“So, uh, Mingi and Yunho have said you’ve been really great at helping run the ship. They’re amazed at how quickly you learned the rigging.” Wooyoung said offhandedly, attempting to change the subject.

“Thanks. They’re nice. I like them.” San replied quietly.

“If you’re ever looking for a more permanent job, I’m sure they’d love to have you become part of the crew full time.” Wooyoung continued.

“No, it’s okay. I couldn’t leave Seonghwa.” San replied while staring out at the sea.

“How did you end up stuck with Seonghwa anyways?” Wooyoung asked.

“I’m not  _ stuck _ with him. He saved me.” San said quietly. “I had lost everything, he’s all that I have.”

“Ahh, so that’s why you’re so protective of him.” Wooyoung replied quietly. “I was orphaned when I was little and was adopted by my uncle. He also ended up taking in Hongjoong when he lost his entire family. I owe him my life so I know how you feel.”

“I guess we are not all that different.” San mumbled. “It’s tough being alone in the world, isn’t it.”

“San… you know you’re never really alone, right?” Wooyoung said. “You have the rest of the crew looking out for you as well now. A lot of them really respect you and your work ethic. And I know we got off on the wrong foot before but… but you have me too.”

San’s eyes glassed over and he snuffled again as if he was going to cry.

“Thank you.” San replied in a tiny voice.

Wooyoung, feeling sort of bad about the whole situation, stiffly placed a hand on San's back in an awkward attempt to comfort him. San immediately latched onto the affection and shuffled closer, leaning his head on Wooyoung's shoulder and clinging onto his arm. Wooyoung rigidly sat there, not knowing quite what to do but daring to not move. San earned his keep as part of his crew even if only temporarily, and as much as they might have butted heads in the past, he knew that San needed comfort right now and he was willing to stay there as long as San needed.

To both their surprise they ended up staying out there all night, just sitting and talking until they eventually nodded off as the sun was already creeping over the horizon.

***

Several hours had passed since he had taken Yeosang’s remedies and Seonghwa finally awoke, groggy and aching. His body protested every single movement and his mind was only focused on staving off the waves of nausea. But he could tell that things had been healing and that’s what mattered most. 

As his mind cleared, Seonghwa quickly became worried when he looked to San’s bed, finding it empty and realizing that he had never returned. It was not like him to stay away for so long and Seonghwa’s mind immediately deviated to the darkest timeline once more. What if he had left? What if he had  _ really _ left? It would not have been difficult for him to jump ship and just never return. There was nothing stopping him and Seonghwa was sure his temperamental nature from the night before surely only drove the wedge between them even deeper.

He dragged his aching body out of his bed, wrapping one of the blankets tightly around himself and went in search of San. His stomach lurched whenever the ship rocked slightly too far in one direction or another but he would momentarily pause, calming himself down again before continuing on his quest. 

Having searched the entire ship, eventually he made his way to the upper deck only to find San huddled beside Wooyoung, both of them having fallen asleep leaning against each other. A wave of relief immediately washed over him at the sight of them. He slowly made his way over and unwrapped the blanket from around himself, draping it over the two of them instead. 

"I so sorry, Sannie." He whispered. "I know my callous words must have hurt. I can only hope you'll forgive me."

Seonghwa gently petted over San’s hair. He looked completely at ease curled up beside Wooyoung and it made Seonghwa’s heart swell as it appeared that San was finally opening himself up to others. He couldn’t help a fond yet bittersweet smile from spreading across his face.

Wooyoung hummed groggily as he cracked his eyes open, having been awoken by the sudden warmth and weight of the blanket. He furrowed his brows as he tried to focus on the silhouette of Seonghwa in front of him.

“Shh just rest.” Seonghwa whispered as he gave his shoulder a light rub. 

Wooyoung slowly closed his eyes and nodded off again.

As Seonghwa went to head back down the stairs to the main deck a wave of pain crept up on him. He quickly grabbed onto his stomach and gritted his teeth as he leaned heavily against the banister waiting for it to pass. Before continuing on he gave one last look back over his shoulder.

“Maybe he can provide you with the happiness and freedom you truly deserve...” Seonghwa lamented before disappearing below deck again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving the chapter on such a bittersweet note... again. Happier time are on the horizon.  
> There will probably be a bit of a longer wait for the next couple chapters as I'm going to switch gears and work on a couple other projects for a bit but I'll be back working on this story soon enough!


	10. Chapter 10

To say things had become a little strained on the ship would have been a mild understatement. Seonghwa had been avoiding Hongjoong ever since the incident as he didn’t know how exactly to confront him about what had happened. Meanwhile Hongjoong had simply buried himself with work in an attempt to forget about everything as he healed. San was also still giving Seonghwa a wide berth, afraid of being cast out if he misspoke again but the separation anxiety that had plagued him in the past was beginning to creep its way back into his subconscious.

It came as almost no surprise when Wooyoung found San standing outside his cabin door the next night, a bundle of blankets in his arms.

“Can I, uh, stay here tonight?” San muttered quietly as if he was embarrassed for even asking.

“Is something wrong?” Wooyoung asked. “Is it Seonghwa again?”

“It's.... complicated.” San replied, eyes fixated on the floor as his grip tightened on the blankets. “I’m scared that he’s still mad at me and I don’t want to accidentally make things worse so... can I just sleep in your cabin instead? I promise it’ll only be for a night.”

Wooyoung looked over at Hongjoong’s empty bed and let out a long sigh. 

“Yeah sure.” He replied with a shrug, ushering San inside. “You can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“You sure?” San asked. “I’m okay with sleeping on the floor. Or why don’t you just take Hongjoong’s bed?”

“It’s alright.” Wooyoung asserted as he grabbed a couple items from the small storage chest in the room. “Just in case he decides to come back tonight I don’t want him being without somewhere to sleep.”

“Thank you.” San said as he lay down on the small bed and buried himself under the blankets.

“Yeah, yeah it’s fine. Just don’t make a habit of this, okay?” Wooyoung replied as he went to work attempting to make himself comfortable on the cold wooden floor.

With a stuffed burlap sack to use as a pillow and San lending him one of the thick blankets he had hoarded, it wasn’t exactly the epitome of comfort but it would make do.

It wasn’t long after they had both gone to sleep that San ever-so-slowly slid out of bed and carefully made his way down to the floor beside Wooyoung, pulling all his blankets with him. He gently tugged on the side of Wooyoung’s shirt as he gravitated towards his body heat, craving an even closer proximity. Softly nuzzling his cheek against Wooyoung’s shoulder, he let out a small, needy noise. Wooyoung stirred slightly before turning over and wrapping his arm around San, pulling him in closer as he fell back asleep. 

They stayed entangled together for the remainder of the night until it was finally time for Wooyoung to wake and make his rounds. In his groggy, early morning state he seemed a little confused to find San curled up beside him. But he didn’t dwell too long on the thought as he carefully extracted himself from San’s grasp, gently covering him back up with the blankets once free. San looked so small and unthreatening asleep at his feet, almost childlike. He couldn’t believe this was the same San that had come within inches of killing him without hesitation the first time they had met. It was almost as if they were two completely different people. Wooyoung frustratedly ran his hands through his own hair a couple times before making the decision to head out.

After closing the door to his cabin behind him he paused for a moment, leaning back heavily against it. A million other thoughts had begun to race through his mind and he didn’t know exactly what to make of any of them. All he could do was let out a long sigh and give his cheek a hard slap to wake himself up just a little bit more before he went to work as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

***

The norms within the ship seemed to have been thrown off and reversed on that particular morning as Jongho stumbled upon Hongjoong fast asleep in the navigation room, hours after he would have normally woken. He had passed out while still seated in a chair, arms crossed in front of him and chin resting against his chest. A series of maps and supplies were scattered on the table in front of him as if he had unintentionally fallen asleep while working on something. 

Jongho quietly approached him and gave his shoulder a light shake.

“Captain?” Jongho said quietly.

Hongjoong quickly lifted his head, blinking heavily, eyes trying to focus on Jongho.

“Oh. Jongho.” Hongjoong said in a tired voice. “I wasn’t asleep. I was just ...deep in thought.”

Hongjoong’s uncontrollably large yawn quickly exposed his lie.

“And here you scolded me the last time I slept here overnight.” Jongho playfully huffed.

“Yeah well I’m the captain so I can get away with these things from time to time.” Hongjoong said with a sly grin as he raised his arms above his head in a big stretch. 

While he didn’t have to wear a sling anymore his shoulder still ached when he moved it too far in one direction or another, casually reminding him of the things he would rather not think about as he quickly lowered his arms again.

“Anyways, if you’re awake now I’ve adjusted our course to make port in the coming days and I’d like you to have a quick look at it.” Jongho said as he laid out the large map in front of them.

He indicated their new path of travel and the next port city they would stop at to restock. They were a day from the port and a little over halfway through their journey to the Northern Islands so a quick pitstop wouldn’t hurt.

“We’ve made port here before, haven’t we?” Hongjoong asked, looking over the map and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Jongho nodded. “It’s been a couple years but you’d be correct.”

“Good. I’ll let Yunho know. I’m sure he has some local contacts and he’ll be able to sell off some of the freight we’ve been carrying. Maybe he’ll even be able to pick up some extra stuff that we can sell off once we reach the Northern Islands.”

“There’s one problem though. Well, actually two problems.” Jongho interjected as Hongjoong turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve been told that this country has recently banned all magic use. While I doubt it will be much of a problem since we’re not exactly a ship full of magic users, might wanna give Yeosang and Seonghwa a heads up. The last thing we’d want is for someone to get arrested and have to blow the remainder of our gold bribing the local officials to get them out.”

“Hmm yeah you raise a fair point. Especially since I doubt either of them are registered magic users, it would probably be best if they just abstained from any sort of magic use until we reached international waters again.” Hongjoong noted as he leaned against the table. “What was the second thing?”

“Well, uh…” Jongho suddenly became slightly flustered. “We might have a bit of a difficult time getting permission to dock in the harbor.”

“Why is that?”

“Remember a while back? When Mingi had that fling with the tavern maid? That ended really badly when her father caught them out back of the tavern with his pants around his ankles?”

“Not his finest moment but yes I remember.” Hongjoong said as he idly looked over the rest of the map.

“Well this was the port city where it happened.” Jongho gave him a concerned glance.

“That’s fine, we will just avoid that tavern.” Hongjoong said matter-of-factly while sitting back and crossing his arms again.

“It’s not that simple.” Jongho continued. “Her father, the one who caught them is now the harbour master.”

Hongjoong inhaled deeply in frustration as he quickly ran through all the options in his mind.

“There’s no way he’ll let us dock in the main harbour with the other trade ships. I doubt any amount of negotiation or bribery will get us any sort of leeway. I guess our best bet would be to anchor offshore and row in.” Hongjoong said. “And by no means let Mingi off the ship.”

“Noted.” Jongho replied as he began to roll the map up again. “I’ll try to find a nice protected cove somewhere not too far from the main harbour where we can drop anchor for a couple days. And I’ll deliver the news to Mingi. He’s not gonna be happy.”

“I’ll have Yunho procure some extra alcohol to keep him satiated. I’m sure he’ll survive.” Hongjoong said with a laugh as Jongho headed off.

***

The morning that they were to make port, Hongjoong gathered all of the crew on deck to go over the protocols for the next couple of days.

“We will only be anchored for two, maximum three days to resupply and gather some extra funds. You’re free to take a shore leave during that time but you will be required to provide your own accommodations if you choose to stay overnight on land. Also we won’t be able to dock in the main harbor so there will be limited access between the ship and the mainland.” He explained as several crew members groaned knowing that they would have to make the grueling trek to shore by row boat. 

“Many of you are probably familiar with this particular port, it’s a bit rougher than what we tend to deal with so make sure to plan accordingly and protect yourself.” Hongjoong continued as he strapped a short sword to his hip. “Also the government here has now outlawed magic use so Yeosang, Seonghwa, make sure to not do anything that could draw attention to yourselves, got it?”

Both Seonghwa and Yeosang nodded, Yeosang also giving a roll of his good eye as he hated dealing with the bigoted people often found in this type of port city.

“Oh and Mingi,” Hongjoong continued as Mingi perked up from the back of the small crowd. “Just a reminder that you are absolutely forbidden from stepping foot on land after what happened last time, understood?”

“Understood.” Mingi grumbled as he headed back below deck, not needing to hear any more.

“We have some items we need to offload and sell to the local merchants.” Yunho noted, stepping up to the front and going through a stock sheet. “Wooyoung, I’ll need you to come along with me to help secure the finances.”

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. “I want San to join us as well.”

San suddenly looked up, a look of utter surprise and confusion on his face at the mention of his name.

“Me?” He asked, pointing to himself.

“Yeah, Seonghwa sold you as a great negotiator so... time to show us what you’ve got.” Wooyoung said with a small smile.

“Okay!” San said in a determined tone as he hopped to his feet and joined them.

“Anyone else need to go to shore for anything?” Yunho asked.

“Between all that’s happened recently,” Yeosang said, eyeing Hongjoong and Seonghwa, “I’ll need to pick up some items as my stocks are running low.”

“We can help.” Hongjoong volunteered.

“Good.” Yeosang said. “Hongjoong and Seonghwa will come with me then. Maybe being under my watch will keep the two of you out of trouble for a day.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes and looked over to Seonghwa who wore a mildly terrified look on his face as he mulled over how he was going to deal with being around Hongjoong for the entire day. While he had wanted to avoid confrontation for as long as possible it looked like that would no longer be possible.

Seonghwa hesitantly looked over to see Hongjoong warmly smiling at him and he slowly gave a fake half-smile in return.

***

The trip to shore wasn’t excessively far from where they ended up dropping anchor but it still took quite a while to make it to the docks. Those who needed to make the trip all boarded a small boat and they slowly rowed their way over. After arriving and securing things at the dock, everyone immediately split up to go their separate ways; some heading off on leave while the rest set out on the trading and resupplying tasks at hand. 

Yeosang was quick to take control of his party, immediately dragging Hongjoong and Seonghwa down the docks with him. The trek to the local market was fairly long and the low buildings in the part of the port city that they were currently in did not provide much, if any shade. 

“Ah this sun is brutal today.” Hongjoong muttered as he shaded his eyes, wishing he had worn one of his wide-brimmed hats

Without a word and without missing a step, Seonghwa raised one hand and gave a small twirl of his pointer finger. Wispy clouds began to materialize in the sky above them and within a few minutes the sky had become pleasantly overcast.

“Seonghwa.” Hongjoong hissed as he gave him a scolding look.

“Don’t worry, there is no way to trace that back to me.” Seonghwa replied confidently.

“Still, I don’t want any more magic use in public, okay?” Hongjoong retorted.

“Understood.” Seonghwa said with a slightly defeated sigh.

“How’s your ulcer?” Hongjoong asked offhandedly as if now trying to make small talk.

“My what? Oh, uh, it’s fine.” Seonghwa replied, momentarily forgetting about the cover Yeosang had devised. “I’m doing much better.”

They continued to walk in awkward silence for some time until Seonghwa finally broke it.

“About the other night, I am terribly sorry—”

“No. I should be the one apologizing.” Hongjoong said, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to face Seonghwa with a hand raised to stop him. “I should also be thanking you. I was stupid. You had everything under control and I underestimated you.”

Seonghwa was completely taken aback by Hongjoong’s candidness.

“But you were injured. And Yeosang—”

“Listen, Yeosang can be way too overprotective sometimes. I’ve had much worse. Don’t worry about a couple scrapes and bruises. I’m fine, really.”

Yeosang gave a huff in protest as he weaved between them.

“You two have some discussing to do, I see.” He said dryly. “I will meet you up here at the South end of the market in twenty minutes, got it?” He pointed to an archway not too far off down the road.

“Got it.” Hongjoong replied as Yeosang headed off, leaving the two of them alone.

Hongjoong paced in a circle in front of Seonghwa, anxiously giving his hair a bit of a ruffle as both he and Seonghwa had been avoiding this very subject in their own ways for far too long.

“I still really feel terrible.” Seonghwa continued. “Yeosang mentioned that you had existing trauma that the whole ordeal might have made worse.”

“It’s a long story. It’s fine, you don’t need to hear it and don’t need to worry about it.” Hongjoong said dismissively as he turned to follow after Yeosang.

Seonghwa made a grab for Hongjoong’s wrist, aggressively pulling him back to face him.

In an instinctive move, Hongjoong wrenched his arm free from Seonghwa’s grasp. He immediately froze, his hand still in the air as he saw the devastated expression spread across Seonghwa’s face. His act had not meant to intentionally hurt Seonghwa.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he slowly lowered his hand and gave his wrist a bit of a rub, “force of habit.”

“Hongjoong please.” Seonghwa pleaded. “I need to know you’re okay. You yourself said the second time we met that there was a possibility I could help lessen the effects of  _ something _ but I need to know what  _ that _ is and that my presence—and subsequent foolish acts—are not just making things worse for you.”

After a long moment of contemplation, Hongjoong wandered over to a nearby stack of crates and plopped down on top of one as he launched into a long-winded recounting of the events of ten years ago. Seonghwa desperately clung onto every word.

“I hate to admit it but when I’m overly stressed I keep relieving the scenes in my head over and over. But it’s like I can’t connect the dots. I have no idea how I survived.”

“Oh Hongjoong… I am so sorry. I had no idea.” Seonghwa said quietly. “Will what I’ve done actually worsen things now?”

“I honestly don’t remember much of what happened the other night. That pulley knocked me out cold.” Hongjoong said with a sigh. “I vaguely remember being in the water at one point, and you were there but that’s really it. It’s such a blur. But I’ve been having enough issues sleeping as it is so I assure you it isn’t making things any worse. Actually… it’s sort of comforting knowing that it was you who saved me. I think the real issue I have with my past trauma is the unknown. I wake up thinking I’m drowning simply because I can’t remember being saved.”

“So you really remember nothing else from the other night? Nothing out of the ordinary?” Seonghwa pressed.

Hongjoong just shook his head and internally Seonghwa was immensely relieved at Hongjoong’s reassurance as well as the fact that it appeared that his secret was still safe.

“If there is anything I can help to lessen your trauma just say the word and I will do everything in my power to make it so.” Seonghwa said.

Hongjoong just let out a laugh, leaning back on the crates and running a hand through his hair.

“What’s so funny?” Seonghwa asked with a tilt of his head.

“How ironic all of this is.” Hongjoong sighed. “I’m a sea captain yet I’m terrified of the open sea and can barely bring myself to stay on deck longer than a few minutes.”

“Would it help if I was more vigilant of the condition of the seas?” Seonghwa asked. “If I kept the waters as calm as possible?”

“It definitely wouldn’t hurt.” Hongjoong shrugged. “Maybe that will begin to put my mind more at ease.”

“I promise from here on out I will do everything I can to make things better for you.” Seonghwa said with a kind smile, extending a hand out to Hongjoong. “I owe you after all.”

Hongjoong cracked a sly grin and tightly grabbed onto Seonghwa’s hand, pulling himself up off the crates. “You’re a good man, Seonghwa. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The slightest indication of blush crept up on Seonghwa’s cheeks as Hongjoong quickly pulled him towards the market as he knew Yeosang would be impatiently waiting for them.

***

On the other side of the large market were brick and mortar stores that lined a series of narrow winding alleys. As Yunho, Wooyoung and San wade their way through the bustling streets, something on the wall of one of the buildings caught San’s eye and he momentarily stopped to look at it. It was a very old, faded poster that had to have been at least seven years old given the smudged dates marked on it but the writing and images were still legible enough to make out. 

It was a poster for a travelling freak show.

And they were advertising a ‘dangerous half-human monster of the sea.’ 

Him.

He was the monster.

San gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. The longer he stared at the poster the more terrible memories came bubbling back up to the surface. He angrily lashed out, grabbing the corner of the poster and tearing it from the wall. He didn’t hesitate in ripping it into tiny pieces and scattering them to the wind. While the destruction was cathartic, he struggled to calm himself down again. Turning his back to the wall, he slowly slid down until he was sitting on the street curb. He pulled his knees in tightly and bowed his head, breathing deeply while trying to regain his composure. What he wouldn’t give for Seonghwa to suddenly appear and reassure him that he really wasn’t some sort of monster and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

His anxiety and anger quickly melted away when he heard a soft mew from somewhere beside him. Popping his head back up, his eyes darted back and forth trying to find the source of the noise only for them to fall on a small kitten who was playfully chasing one of the pieces of torn poster as it blew across the cobblestones.

San slowly pulled himself forward in a crouch and motioned at the small kitten, wiggling his fingers with a small ‘ _ pspspsps _ ’ sound. The kitten quickly flattened, its eyes focusing on San and seeming a little apprehensive.

“Please don’t be afraid of me.” He said in a tiny voice.

San’s face absolutely lit up as the kitten hopped over to him and began rubbing its chin against San’s legs, affectionately winding and wrapping around his feet. With a small giggle he gave the kitten a couple playfully scritches under the chin

“You’re so adorable I could just  _ eat you up _ .” San cooed at the kitten in a baby-like tone.

He gently picked it up and held it in front of his face as he devilishly licked his lips. The kitten gently pawed at his cheek and San was completely overcome by its cuteness, cracking a wide smile and excitedly nuzzling his nose against the top of its head. The kitten gave another tiny mew as San let out a small whine at how utterly smitten he was by the tiny creature.

“San come on! You’re gonna get left behind!” Wooyoung called from down the street, having doubled back when he noticed San was no longer with them.

“Coming!” San called back.

San pouted as he slowly placed the kitten back down and gave it one last ruffle atop its head. Quickly getting to his feet, he jogged to catch up with Wooyoung, giving one last glance back at the kitten playing in the street as he did so.

“What were you doing?” Wooyoung huffed at him.

“Nothing, just got distracted by something I saw.” San replied as he pushed past the crowds to join him and Yunho.

When they finally arrived at where they needed to be, Yunho had led them to a large trading area where he had hoped they would be able to sell off some of the freight they had on their ship, specifically a large collection of gemstones they had procured. However, after nearly an hour of work on his part it seemed like they were getting absolutely nowhere. A few of the market vendors were giving Yunho a hard time, picking up on his foreign accent and assuming they could give him obscenely low and somewhat offensive offers on the goods that he was offering. Yunho was getting evidently flustered as the merchants were not willing to haggle or budge an inch. Wooyoung had also become visibly frustrated and had even hurled some expletives at a couple of the vendors in Yunho’s defense, which ultimately definitely did not help their sales.

“Yunho?” San asked quietly. “What are these things worth?” He motioned at the various gemstones Yunho had brought as samples.

“The quartz is worth two gold, the tiger’s eye about four, opal is eight and amethyst about six.” Yunho explained.

“And what were you trying to get for everything?”

“Um, well, I was hoping on the low end twenty-one thousand for everything. These are the amounts we currently have on the ship.” Yunho said as he handed over his logbook.

“What?! They’re barely offering you half of that! That’s not acceptable.” San huffed as he read over all the amounts and current offers. “Let me take over from here.”

“Oh, uh, alright. I guess you are the negotiator afterall.” Yunho replied but San was already marching up to the last merchant they had dealt with that luckily Wooyoung had yet to offend.

Wooyoung and Yunho watched intently from a distance as San worked his magic. It was almost as if he managed to change the tone of his voice to match the local accent and adjusted the pitch to one that seemed assertive but also friendly and engaging. Within a matter of minutes he had easily won over the merchant. They scribbled something down on a piece of paper and proceeded to count out a large number of gold pieces, handing the large bags of gold over to San when they had finished. San shook his hand while grabbing the bags and paper and headed back to Yunho, face absolutely beaming.

“Well, how did it go?” Yunho asked with a hint of excitement in his voice as he eyed the bags.

San handed over the logbook and small paper which listed various amounts of gemstones to Yunho and passed the bags of gold to Wooyoung.

“Thirty-three thousand for nearly everything.” San declared proudly. “Count it, it’s all there. And those are the amounts of each that will need to be delivered tomorrow with a small surplus leftover.”

Wooyoung was absolutely dumbfounded as he began counting the gold in the bags.

“I can’t believe this!” Yunho exclaimed. “San you’re absolutely incredible!”

“You did real good.” Wooyoung replied as he confirmed the amount of gold in the bag. “It’s really all here.”

“Told you I was the best negotiator.” San said smugly.

“I honestly can’t believe it. They were so stubborn! It was like you put him under a spell or something.” Yunho joked, giving San a playful nudge with his elbow.

“Haha… yeah, I guess” San laughed as he nervously scratched his head.

“Let’s find the closest tavern. Drinks are on me!” Wooyoung proclaimed, giving San a playful slap across the back as they turned to head back towards the city center.

Unbeknownst to them, Wooyoung and Yunho hadn’t been the only ones watching San work. A small group of thieves had also taken interest in the large payment that had been doled out and began trailing them from the shadows. Of course this had to be the one time Wooyoung ended up getting them lost, inadvertently leading them out of the safety of the market crowds.

“According to this it should be down here…” Wooyoung said, pointing down a side street as he folded up a small map and shoved it back in his pocket.

“You lost? Y’all don’t seem to be from around here.” One of the thieves scowled as they approached them.

“Just passing through,” Yunho said with a nervous laugh. “We will be on our way…”

He went to walk past him but was quickly shoved back, tripping on the cobblestones and stumbling to the ground. The three other thieves travelling with the man quickly surrounded them. Wooyoung drew a small knife from his belt and brandished it towards them.

“The hell do you want?” He barked.

“We saw that hefty sum you got back there.” The thief said. “But you didn’t pay the tax so we’ll be taking it off your hands.” He said as he drew a pistol from his coat and pointed it straight between Wooyoung’s eyes, cocking it in an act of intimidation.

“Just hand it over!” Yunho cried at Wooyoung as San helped him off the ground. “It’s not worth the fight!”

“No.” San said coldly. “You guys stay back. Leave it to me.”

As soon as Yunho was back on his feet San leapt into action, kicking the pistol out of the thief’s hand as it fired off above everyone’s head. Any passersbys quickly ducked and fled for cover with a flurry of shouts and screams triggered by the noise from the shot. In a heartbeat San had managed to deal the man several sharp jabs to the torso and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. 

The second thief appeared to have retreated down a side alley as San made for the remaining two, using the force of their own attacks against them. He was quick to dodge each punch while dealing his own. Using one thief’s body as leverage to launch himself over them, he wrapped his legs around the other's neck, grabbing onto their hair and forcing them backwards as they landed hard on the cobbled ground. They were knocked out instantly. 

The remaining thief grabbed a heavy piece of metal piping off the ground and aggressively swung at San, missing him by mere inches. San drew one of the series of knives he kept on himself and quickly climbed a small flight of open stone steps to get the higher ground. The thief foolishly pursued him. It wasn’t long before the pipe had been knocked from his hands and San’s knife had made contact with his shoulder flesh. San gave the knife a hard twist before kicking the thief down the stairs, completely taking them out.

San and Wooyoung looked on in utter amazement.

“That was easy.” San said with a smug smile as he cockily walked back down the steps, wiping the small amount of blood off his knife and placing it back in its sheath.

“You guys alright?” He asked cheerfully.

However just when they thought the coast was clear the thief who had previously retreated launched a surprise attack, dropping down from the roof of the small building behind San.

“San! Look out!” Wooyoung yelled.

For the first time San was a split second too slow as the thief managed to overtake him and put him in a tight chokehold. They scuffled a little as San tried to struggle free before the thief noticed the necklace around San’s neck and the unusual looking crystal. In their mind it had to be worth something at least.

“You won’t give us your gold then I’ll be taking this instead.” They snarled in San’s ear as they wrapped the chain around their fingers and yanked the necklace from San’s neck.

As soon as the pendant had left San’s body his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the ground unconscious at the thief’s feet.

“San!” Wooyoung yelled as he ran towards them.

“Drop the necklace.” Woyoung growled as he brandished his knife at the thief once more. 

The thief surveyed their surroundings and their unconscious compatriots laying nearby. Instead of confrontation, the thief quickly balled up the necklace in their hand and decided to make a run for it, turning on their heel and heading deep into the market entrance beside them.

“Hey! Get back here!” Wooyoung shouted as he sheathed his knife and sprinted off after the thief.

“Wait Wooyoung—” But it was too late and Wooyoung was already long gone.

Yunho was left alone with the unconscious San. No amount of name-calling, shaking or gentle pats were waking him. Yunho nervously hovered his hands over him trying to think of what to check to see if he was even still alive. Panicking and not knowing what to do, he quickly scooped San up in his arms and figured his best course of action was to make his way back to the docks.

***

Back on the other side of the market where Yeosang, Hongjoong and Seonghwa had ended up, the vast majority of stalls were selling various fresh produce or dried herbs and other medicinal ingredients. However, there was still the odd seller who would have something completely different from those around him from pottery to clothing to random trinkets and knick knacks. As they were shopping something caught Seonghwa’s eye as they passed by an artist who had set up at the end of one of the rows. Seonghwa casually wandered over and looked down at a very large and intricately painted scene.

The painting was quite dark with tones of blues and greens mixed with black for a foreboding feeling. It was an image of a sailor leaning over the side of their rowboat in an attempt to reach out to a beautiful mermaid swimming below. However the underside of his boat revealed a hoard of shadowy mermaid-like demons with glowing red eyes waiting to drag the sailor under the surface. Seonghwa looked over the painting with a forlorn expression. 

This wasn’t him. 

This wasn’t real. 

But he couldn’t help but feel like this is what humans would only ever see the real him as.

“Seonghwa? Is something wrong?” Hongjoong’s voice came from behind as he wandered over. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Seonghwa said, snapping back to his senses.

Hongjoong peered around Seonghwa at the painting.

“I didn’t see you as the type to be interested in mythical creatures.” Hongjoong commented while leaning in close to look at the details in the painting.

Seonghwa gave a bit of involuntary huff at Hongjoong’s comment. He really was oblivious.

“To tell you the truth,” Hongjoong began to say with a bit of a nervous laugh. “I’ve always had a fascination with the legends of the sea. I even have an entire collection of books about it. The sea itself might terrify me but there was always something intriguing about the legends of mermaids.”

Seonghwa looked at him curiously. Maybe he wasn’t as oblivious as he thought.

“Aren’t you scared of them? They’re always portrayed as such vicious and ruthless creatures.” Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong shook his head. “I believe if they really do exist it would be impossible for an entire species to be inherently evil. I believe they wouldn’t be much different than us in that there would be both good and bad within them. They’re probably only painted as monsters because that makes for a more dramatic story. There’s a weird romanticism behind these sea creatures being dangerous monsters that people on land crave.”

Seonghwa just gazed at Hongjoong with a look of utter bewilderment. He was the only human he had ever come across with such an unbiased outlook on merfolk.

“You really are quite peculiar.” Seonghwa scoffed. 

“I know, I know, it’s silly to believe so passionately in these myths.” Hongjoong said with a sigh, cracking a half-smile. “Anyways, we should probably catch up to Yeosang before he scolds the two of us again.” He continued with a bit of a laugh.

Seonghwa nodded and they made their way back through the maze of stalls to find Yeosang bartering over a large supply of star anise. The assortment of dried herbs and other odd medicinal ingredients around them was astounding and they spent quite some time at that stall alone. Seonghwa began looking over the various labels. A light shimmer off something caught the corner of his eye as he spotted what were unmistakably mermaid scales—not of his own as they were a brilliant deep blue colour—hidden in a small corner amongst some dried flowers and a variety of animal teeth.

It was quite evident that despite the ban on magic in the country there were still those practicing in secret. Seonghwa began to subconsciously fiddle with the pendant around his neck as his eyes trailed over the other contents of the stall.

_ Ugh I’m starving, I wonder when we will stop for lunch…  _ Hongjoong’s voice echoed in Seonghwa’s mind.

“Hmm? What was that?” Seonghwa asked as he casually picked through the dried flower petals, tucking his pendant back into his shirt.

Hongjoong looked over at him with a confused expression. “What was what?”

“Sorry, something about lunch?”

“I didn’t—did I say that outloud? Oh.” Hongjoong said with a bit of a laugh. “Sorry, I’ve been starving all morning and I guess my mind wandered. I didn’t realize I was talking to myself.”

Seonghwa pulled a couple copper coins from his pocket and counted them out in his hand. He picked out the largest, reddest apple he could find at an adjacent stall and promptly handed over the few coins to the seller.

“Here.” He said as he playfully tossed the apple towards Hongjoong., “This should tide you over for a little bit.”

“Thanks!” Hongjoong replied as he eagerly rubbed the apple on his coat lapel before taking a large bite.

Yeosang was finishing up his transaction and packing up all his goods when suddenly there was a large ruckus from behind them. Their eyes were quickly drawn to an individual haphazardly running towards them, knocking over a large barrel of produce as he did so, spilling the contents absolutely everywhere. Seonghwa instinctively pulled Yeosang a step back as the person breezed by. It was only mere seconds later when another individual went sprinting past them in hot pursuit, nearly tripping on the spilled produce and hurling a series of expletives as he did so.

“Come back here you coward!” He screamed as they blew past.

The three of them just stood there in shock for a brief moment, Hongjoong just staring blankly with cheeks full of apple.

“What on Earth is going on…” Yeosang commented, only half-witnessing the action having had his back turned.

“Was that Wooyoung?” Seonghwa asked in a concerned tone, looking over at Hongjoong.

“Shit.” Hongjoong cursed as he dropped the apple he was eating and hopped off the barrel.

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa immediately made chase to follow him. 

“Yeosang! Meet us back at the dock!” Hongjoong called back before they disappeared between the market stalls.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another.” Yeosang sighed as he picked up all his supplies to head back to where their boat was

***

Wooyoung was gaining on the thief but the longer the chase dragged on, the more exhausted he was becoming and he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to keep up the same pace. Luck was on his side however as the thief made the critical mistake of running down a dead end alley. 

Stopping in their tracks when they hit the end of the alley, the thief quickly panicked, looking for anything they could use to scale the walls or any nearby doors or windows that might have been left unlocked. But there were none. A noise at the mouth of the alley alerted the thief to Wooyoung’s presence and they quickly whipped around to face him.

“There you are!” Wooyoung growled with a crazy look in his eyes, his chest heaving from being out of breath.

The thief took several steps backwards, still looking for any means of escape as Wooyoung began to approach, knife drawn. Raising their fingers to their lips, the thief made a sharp whistle. Wooyoung flinched slightly at the sound but knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer as he lunged at the thief, quickly knocking them off their feet and tackling them to the ground. The thief was a lot more agile than he had anticipated and he was almost immediately disarmed in the scuffle, his knife being kicked out of reach down the alley.

Wooyoung went to make a futile grab for the knife when the thief grabbed his ankle and aggressively dragged him back. Before Wooyoung could make another move they had managed to strike him squarely across the face with their boot. The pain only fueled Wooyoung’s anger.

Wooyoung was finally able to overpower them and pin them down, sharply pressing his knuckles into their forearm causing them to grit their teeth in pain and eventually open their tightly clenched fist to reveal San’s pendant. Wooyoung snatched it out of their grasp and quickly shoved it into his pocket. 

Wooyoung gave the thief a couple swift kicks to momentarily incapacitate them as he got back to his feet. However, the thief just started laughing as they curled in on themselves, holding tightly onto their pained rib cage.

“What’s so funny?” Wooyoung sneered.

“You’re really fucked now.” They replied.

The thief motioned behind Wooyoung with their chin. Wooyoung could see something shadowy at the mouth of the alley out of the corner of his eye and quickly looked over his shoulder to see a dozen or so gang members approaching him, some armed with various types of weapons ranging from chains to knives

“Oh dammit I’m in trouble.” He cursed under his breath knowing he was well out-numbered.

The thief took this opportunity while Wooyoung was distracted to lodge their foot against the back of his knee and roughly knock it out from under him. Wooyoung went tumbling onto the ground as the gang began to approach.

“You dare come into our territory and threaten one of our members?” A man with a long scar running across his jaw snarled at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung was unarmed and now on the defensive as he shuffled back as far as he could until his back hit the stone wall behind him. The thief slowly got to their feet, still holding onto their side as the gang crowded around. They approached Wooyoung with a sinister smile.

“Looks like the tables have turned.” They scoffed as they roughly grabbed onto a tuft of Wooyoung’s hair.

Wooyoung was quick to grab their wrist, giving it a swift twist until there was a loud pop. The thief wailed in pain and immediately let go of Wooyoung and backed off. Wooyoung struggled as he pushed himself into a standing position against the brick wall.

“What are you waiting for!” The thief cried, cradling their injured wrist. “Get him!”

“Leave him be!” Hongjoong’s voice rang out as the gang stopped and all turned back around to face him.

“Hongjoong!” Wooyoung cried out in relief, a smile spreading across his face.

Despite having quite the headstart it was not at all difficult for Hongjoong and Seonghwa to track where Wooyoung had gone as they had left a trail of destruction through the market as they went. It wasn’t long at all until they had come across the gang closing in on Wooyoung and knew they had to act fast.

Hongjoong had drawn the short sword that he had kept on his hip and was brandishing it towards the gang. The man with the scar looked Hongjoong and Seonghwa up and down, eyes resting on the short sword as he let out a hearty laugh. The rest of the gang was quick to follow with a round of laughter.

“And what exactly do you expect to accomplish here?” The scarred man scoffed. “You’re grossly outnumbered. There are three of you, two of you are unarmed, and a dozen of us.”

Seonghwa gave a quick look down to Hongjoong who gave a small nod. Seonghwa did not move an inch but merely closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The skies above them began to darken a concerning amount as if night had fallen prematurely. Thunder rumbled in the distance as streaks of lighting began to spider their way across the sky.

“Damn, they’re magic users!” One of the other gang members cursed, many of the members were now giving each other worried glances.

Several of the gang members remained steadfast though as Seonghwa slowly raised his hand in the air. He gave a small flicking motion and in a flash, several bolts of lightning struck the ground at the feet of the gang, knocking many of the members to the ground and rendering them unconscious. This caused utter chaos among the remaining few as they attempted to flee.

“Let’s get out of here!” A gang member shouted as those who could still run pushed past them and out of the alley.

Now that the coast was clear, Hongjoong was quick to re-sheath his short sword.

“Wooyoung, come on! Let’s go!” He motioned at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung did not hesitate in launching himself over the steaming bodies of the unconscious gang members to reunite with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Seonghwa quickly gave a wave of his hand and the skies cleared once more.

Hongjoong did a quick survey of Wooyoung. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung said as he wiped a spot of blood from the corner of his mouth. “I’m fine.”

“We need to get out of here.” Seonghwa said in a low voice as he looked around, noticing that they had attracted quite a lot of attention and he knew the authorities would be swarming the area in no time.

“Right, let’s get back to the ship, and fast.” Hongjoong said with a nod as they turned to take the quickest course back to the docks.

***

Back at the docks, Yeosang had loaded his supplies into the small row boat and had decided to sit on the side of the dock, dangling his feet over the water while waiting for the others to return. It wasn’t long before someone returned but it was not who he was expecting. It was not Hongjoong, Seonghwa or Wooyung but instead it was Yunho who was struggling as he made his way down the dock carrying an unconscious San. San had the appearance of a ragdoll in his arms, his one arm limply dangling and his head lolling to the side with every hurried step that Yunho took.

“Yeosang!” Yunho cried as soon as he laid eyes on him. “Something’s happened to San!”

Yeosang scrambled to his feet as Yunho approached. Together they helped lift San into the small row boat and laid him across one of the benches. Yunho was completely beside himself, streaks of tears were already running down his face as Yeosang frantically started taking San’s vitals.

“Is he going to be okay?” Yunho asked, his voice cracking.

“What the hell happened?!” Yeosang looked up to ask him.

“These thieves tried to mug us and San was trying to fight them off… and he… and he just collapsed!” Yunho stuttered out.

Yeosang quickly tried to survey San’s body for any possible contusions or stab wounds or literally anything that would cause him to collapse like that but he could not find a single mark.

“Wooyoung... we saw him earlier chasing someone...” Yeosang said.

“Yeah that was one of the thieves.” Yunho replied. “I think they might have stolen something off San."

Yeosang immediately noticed that San’s pendant was missing, ultimately being the reason as to why he was unconscious and unresponsive.

“Damn, that’s not good.” Yeosang cursed.

“What’s not good?! Is San going to be alright? IS HE DEAD?!” Yunho cried.

“He’s not dead.” Yeosang replied curtly. “He’s just unconscious. For now. He’s otherwise fine.”

“Oh thank the gods.” Yunho said with a sigh of relief and he slumped down on one of the other benches of the small row boat.

At that moment the skies above them began to darken as the sound of thunder began to rumble in the distance. Both Yeosang and Yunho’s attention was suddenly drawn upwards.

“Dammit Seonghwa.” Yeosang cursed knowing very well what caused this sudden change in weather.

“What do you think is happening?” Yunho muttered.

“I’m guessing they found whoever Wooyoung was chasing.” Yeosang replied with a sigh.

It was only a matter of minutes before the sky cleared again and not much longer after that Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Seonghwa were spotted hastily making their way down the docks. As they all piled into the small boat, Seonghwa immediately noticed San laying on the bench.

“What has happened to him?!” Seonghwa said in a distraught tone, eyes darting between crew members in search of any sort of explanation.

Seonghwa quickly knelt down beside San, tightly taking hold of his hand.

“Why is he so cold? Yeosang what happened?!” Seonghwa cried as the others around him were frantically trying to prepare the boat.

Hongjoong was quickly untying them from the dock, throwing the rope back into the small boat as Wooyoung and Yunho were preparing to start rowing. Yeosang put an arm around Seonghwa, pulling him closer so he could talk without being heard.

“It appears that Yunho, Wooyoung and San were ambushed by thieves and San lost his pendant in the scuffle.” Yeosang explained in a low whisper.

“What? No!” Seonghwa blurted out in reply, frantically pulling at San’s shirt collar to see that the pendant was in fact missing.

“I need to go back! I need to find it!” Seonghwa said in a frantic tone as the boat pushed away from the dock.

“It’s too dangerous right now!” Yeosang hissed, tightly gripping Seongwha’s shirt sleeve to stop him from getting back up. “You just unleashed a thunderstorm on a port city that banned magic. If you were to go off the hilt, you’d surely be caught and jailed. We can’t risk it. San is safe for now. His vitals are fine, he’s just unconscious. We will head back to ship and discuss a plan to return to search for it with Hongjoong.”

Seonghwa didn’t want to accept Yeosang’s answer but he knew he was right.

Once they were back on board Yunho carried San back to his cabin, laying him down carefully on his bed and refusing to leave his side. Yeosang had left to discuss possible retrieval options with Hongjoong while Seonghwa was anxiously pacing the room. He was not hiding his worried expression well as his internal panic mounted, thinking there might not be any way to bring San back if his pendant was missing or worse ended up shattered like his own. Wooyoung had been watching things from a distance when he ran a hand over his pocket and felt the pendant there.

“Hey Seonghwa,” Wooyoung said quietly, pulling Seonghwa to the side.

“Listen, I’m really sorry for what happened to San.” He said. “But at least I got this back for him.”

Wooyoung reached back into his pocket and carefully retrieved the pendant, holding it out for Seonghwa to see. Seonghwa nearly collapsed at the sight of it, his knees buckling under him as he fumbled to grip onto Wooyoung’s shoulder to right himself again.

“Wooyoung you are a lifesaver.” Seonghwa breathed in relief. “Quickly, quickly, give it to me.”

Seonghwa snatched the pendant out of Wooyoung’s open hand and quickly shuffled back over to San. He leaned down and carefully placed it back around San’s neck. 

“Sannie, please wake up.” Seonghwa pleaded, giving San’s cheek a gentle rub.

It took a few seconds before San’s eyes flicked open. He sat bolt upright with a startled gasp, not knowing where he was or what had happened.

“How did I get back on the ship?” He asked in a groggy voice. “Why is everyone staring at me?”

“I thought you might have died!” Yunho cried as he pushed Seonghwa aside to wrap San in a bone-crushing hug.

San let out a strangled wheeze and frantically patted Yunho on the shoulder to try to get him to finally let up and let him breathe again.

“Died? Why would I have died?” He asked with a bit of a laugh.

“You just suddenly collapsed.” Yunho continued. “Me and Wooyoung were so scared! But Wooyoung chased after the thief and got your necklace back!”

San’s previously playful expression quickly faded as he frantically felt for the pendant around his neck and held it up in front of his face, closely inspecting the small purple crystal. He lifted his gaze slightly to see Wooyoung standing towards the back of the cabin wearing a distraught expression. As soon as they made eye contact Wooyoung quickly turned and left the room.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” Seonghwa said quietly as he sat down on the small bed beside San, pulling him in close against his chest while gently petting over his hair.

But all San could think of was the fact that Wooyoung had been the one to save him as he tightly gripped the small pendant.

***

The next day the majority of the crew had headed back to shore. While it had taken a lot of convincing to pull Seonghwa away from San, Hongjoong had agreed for both him and Seonghwa to accompany Yunho just in case they were to run into the gang of thieves again. San was instructed to stay on board after what was dubbed his ‘fainting spell’ the day before and similarly Yeosang had wanted to make sure Wooyoung hadn’t gotten concussed during his fight and was also instructed to stay.

San had found himself sitting alone in the galley. He didn’t have much of an appetite and was slowly picking away at his half-eaten food when Wooyoung walked in to grab something to eat for himself. San’s eyes were immediately drawn to the dark bruising across Wooyoung’s cheekbone and the bloody lip that was slowly starting to heal but still starkly evident.

“Thank you.” San san quietly, not even addressing Wooyoung.

Wooyoung slowly turned around to face him.

“For what?” He replied in a dry tone.

“Yunho said that you got my necklace back for me.” San said.

“Oh. Yeah. That.” Wooyoung said. “It was nothing.”

Wooyoung threw some scraps of food on the table and sat down across from San while San just sat there quietly watching him eat. It was evident there were many things weighing on both their minds.

“I can feel you staring.” Wooyoung said with a mouth full of food.

“Sorry!” San squeaked out, looking down and frantically digging back into his own food.

“You really scared us yesterday.” Wooyoung finally said, not even lifting his eyes from his food. “You really scared  _ me _ yesterday.”

“I’m sorry.” San replied quietly.

There was another long pause as Wooyoung absent-midedly picked at his food, trying to figure out the right thing to say.

“What’s your deal with that necklace of yours?” Wooyoung asked, finally making eye contact with San.

“Wh-what do you mean?” San replied nervously.

“I mean, I saw what happened. As soon as Seonghwa put that necklace back on you it was like it revived you from the dead. Yunho didn’t seem to notice, but I did.”

San pulled the pendant out from under his shirt and looked between it and Wooyoung.

“It’s complicated.” He said as his voice got smaller.

“Did Seonghwa put some sort of spell or bewitching thing on you or something?” Wooyoung pressed. “No, wait. You’re secretly a magic user aren’t you.”

San shook his head. “I swear, I’m not.”

“Then what  _ are you _ ?” Wooyoung asked, more aggressively. “Because that sure as hell was not normal.”

San put his utensils down and just stared at his plate, nervously balling his hands between his legs.

“Can I trust you?” San said with a bit of hesitation.

“Can you trust me? I literally got my ass kicked for you yesterday.” Wooyoung said cracking a half-smile with a bit of a laugh. “Of course you can trust me. I trust  _ you _ , San.”

“Then I’ll show you.” San said in a determined tone. “I’ve never shown anyone else… But I will show you.”

“Show me?” Before Wooyoung could even finish his thought San had gotten up and was already halfway down the hall. “San, wait!”

Wooyoung scrambled to his feet and quickly followed. San ran up to the main deck with Wooyoung chasing close behind him. He made no hesitation in climbing up onto the wooden railing, precariously perched on top as he turned to face Wooyoung with the biggest grin spreading across his face. He took in a deep breath as he took in the beautiful warm weather and the smell of the tropical sea below.

“San what the hell are you doing!” Wooyoung yelled as he ran over. “You're gonna fall!”

“Just watch me! I said I’d show you what I am so that’s what I’m gonna do! Trust me!” San yelled back with a smile as he raised his arms up and slowly let himself fall backwards.

Wooyoung's eyes went wide in fear as he saw San falling back over the edge.

“SAN!” Wooyoung let out a shrill cry as he sprinted to the railing just in time to see the backsplash from the calm blue waters below.

Wooyoung panicked and looked around for anyone to help but he was the only one on deck as the others were all on shore or deep below. He barely hesitated before he removed his jacket and boots and hopped up on the railing himself, wildly swinging his arms to keep his balance and right himself. Looking at the waters below he noticed San had not yet resurfaced and he panicked even more as he didn't even know if San could swim. Without another thought he leapt off the railing and dove into the water after him.

The waters were warm and clear but the shock of the dive from that height threw Wooyoung's senses for a loop. He quickly tried to make his way back to the surface to get his bearings. He broke through the surface with a gasp and yelled for San again but San still had not resurfaced. Frantically treading water in circles he knew he had to make some sort of effort to find him so he took the deepest breath he could and dove under the waves in search of him.

And that's when he saw it.

Something was swimming up towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being way longer than originally anticipated so I had to choose a place to split it (and extended the overall fic length). Sorry for the cliffhanger but let's be honest, y'all probably have a good idea of what's going to happen... or do you? Welp just making it worse OKAY BYE.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I believe I had originally rated this fic as M before lowering it to T, it's been bumped back up to M due to some of the rather sexual in nature content included in one of the scenes in this chapter. Proceed at your own discretion.

As the warm waters swirled around him, Wooyoung squinted trying to make out just what exactly it was that was swimming towards him. Whatever it was, it was  _ large _ and it was moving  _ fast _ . Were sharks native to these waters? Did this creature pose a threat to him? And where the  _ hell _ was San? A dozen thoughts were racing through his mind making it impossible to focus on one alone. 

The salt water stung but his eyesight finally came into focus.

The silver streak of hair was unmistakable.

It was ...San? 

There was absolutely no mistaking that it was San but it definitely wasn’t the San he had come to know. Wooyoung tried to process everything that he was seeing from the specklings of scales that gave off a brilliant glimmer in the sun-filled waters to the long fishtail that had replaced San’s lower body and it quickly became overwhelming for him. In his startled state, a barrage of air bubbles escaped his body. He immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and nose to prevent himself from inhaling any more sea water and he began flailing his limbs in a desperate attempt to get back to the surface as quickly as possible.

San continued to swim straight up to him, momentarily blocking his path but still smiling that same smile as if this new appearance had changed absolutely nothing. Wooyoung halted his progress, afraid to get any closer. He hung there in the water, eyes wide in disbelief at what he was seeing. Here was this mythical creature floating right in front of him and yet San’s eyes still managed to exude a trusting warmth about them. 

Wooyoung’s expression quickly became one of sheer panic though when he realized he had run out of breath. 

Noticing his frantic state, in a swift motion San had reached down and grabbed onto Wooyoung’s wrists, promptly pulling him back up towards the surface. As Wooyoung broke through the waves gasping for air he quickly yanked his wrists free from San’s grasp, putting as much distance as he could between them. 

Wooyoung struggled to keep himself afloat while pushing his wet hair out of his face, not once taking his eyes off San. San’s once warm and playful expression was quickly fading as he read Wooyoung’s defensive body language. 

Wooyoung was scared of him. 

There was a painfully long silence between them. The only sounds that could be heard were Wooyoung’s frantic breathing and the gentle lapping of sea water against the hull of the ship some distance away. Wooyoung’s heart was pounding within his chest. Seeing San in his merman form was not something he ever could have imagined but finally, he spoke.

“You're—” He was so out of breath he couldn’t even finish his sentence and only made a choked gasp.

“A monster?” San said solemnly as he sunk lower in the water until it was up to his chin. “Yeah... I know.” San shook his head as if arguing with his own thoughts. “This was a terrible idea. I should have known you wouldn’t accept me like this. I… I need to go...”

“No that’s not—”

Before Wooyoung could even finish his thought, San had disappeared again deep below the surface.

“San wait!” Wooyoung called after him but it appeared as if he was too late.

He slapped the water angrily in frustration. How was he supposed to react in a situation like this? How was anyone supposed to prepare themselves for this? Wooyoung continued to tread water, milling over what exactly he should do.

It had only been a couple of minutes but his muscles were already beginning to ache and fatigue as he attempted to keep himself afloat, only adding to his frustrated state. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stay in the open water like this or if it was even worth trying to pursue San.

“San! Please come back!” Wooyoung cried. “That’s not what I meant! I don’t think you’re a monster!”

“Then what  _ did _ you mean?”

Wooyoung whipped around to see San had quietly resurfaced behind him.

“San…” Wooyoung breathed a sigh of relief.

“I was going to say you’re  _ insufferable _ . I thought you might have drowned!” He yelled in frustration.

“I told you to trust me... I didn't expect you to dive in after me!” San replied, somewhat taken aback by Wooyoung’s response as he bobbed in the water several feet from him. “But... thank you.” San continued, his voice becoming small.

“Listen, this...  _ all _ this is a lot to process.” Wooyoung said assertively. “I'm not that strong of a swimmer so can we maybe head over to that cove or something?” He nodded to a small outcropping of rocks only a short distance away.

San looked over his shoulder to the small rocky cove. It was just secluded enough to be away from prying eyes. Looking back at Wooyoung, he gave a quick nod and held out his hand for Wooyoung to take hold of.

“Here, let me help.” San said quietly.

Wooyoung just stared at the outstretched hand for a moment. The scales were somewhat off-putting to him and San’s claw-like nails did not make things anymore inviting but when he looked San in the eyes, that same trusting warmth shone through. Wooyoung reluctantly took hold of San’s hand and San pulled him in close. Wooyoung’s heart nearly skipped a beat as all the horrible stories he had heard about merfolk flooded his memory as he felt San’s grasp tighten.

“You still trust me…. right?” San asked.

“I… yeah.” Wooyoung hesitantly replied.

“Take a deep breath then and hold on tight.” San instructed.

Wooyoung quickly did as he was told, taking in a deep breath as San wrapped his arms around his waist. He trusted San. He knew Sad would never hurt him. But the small voice in the back of his head was screaming about how this could just be one of  _ their _ luring techniques.

It was too late to backpedal now as San had already dunked them under the surface.

San swam ridiculously fast, even while carrying Wooyoung and they reached the sandbar surrounding the cove in a matter of seconds. San pulled Wooyoung back up to the surface and gently let go of him once he was able to stand up in the waist-deep water. Wooyoung’s heart was beating a mile a minute… but he was alive.

Cautiously he waded along the sandbar, through the clear waters, over to one of the more secluded and larger outcropping of rocks. San calmly floated along beside him. Wooyoung struggled as he climbed up onto the rocks and out of the water, his wet feet slipping out from beneath him while trying to get a sturdy foothold.

“Careful!” San said with a hint of worry.

“I’m fine.” Wooyoung replied in an unintentionally curt manner.

Pulling himself fully onto the top of the rock he plopped down with an exhausted sigh. Wooyoung slicked his wet hair out of his face for a second time and started wringing out the water from his clothes. San lazily swam circles and figure-eights in the shallow waters just silently watching him.

After a few minutes San cautiously swam up to the edge of the rock, pulling himself partially up and out of the water so that the lower half of his body stayed below the surface. He crossed his arms on the smooth rock face and rested his chin on them with a bit of a pout. Wooyoung was still trying to make things make sense in his head and was being uncharacteristically silent. 

He briefly glanced over at San and his heart sank at San’s melancholy expression. It must have taken a lot of courage for San to finally come out to him like this and here he was not saying a word. He knew he had to say something, anything.

“So you really are this...  _ thing _ ? A, uh, merman?” Wooyoung stated, not looking at San directly but motioning at the length of San’s body.

San looked himself over with raised eyebrows. “I would say so.” He quipped back.

Wooyoung cracked a half smile momentarily at San’s remark.

“No. Wait. Sorry. I didn't mean to call you a  _ thing _ .” Wooyoung stuttered out, fixating back on his wet clothing. “Like I said, it's a lot to process.”

“I know, I'm sorry.” San replied quietly.

“Don’t be sorry.” Wooyoung replied. “At least, not for what you are. I know I haven’t always been the most tolerant person but ….but Hongjoong has been educating me and really pushing me to be more accepting… and… but… I...”

Wooyoung made a series of frustratedly vague hand motions, not being able to find the proper words to convey what he wanted to say.

“I'm sorry if this changes the way you look at me. I’m still the same me... I just look different, I swear.” San said. “But I knew I had to be honest with you. I could not keep pretending to be something I'm not.”

“Human?” Wooyoung interjected.

“....yeah.” San replied as his voice caught in his throat.

“Sorry! Sorry.” Wooyoung blurted out, slapping himself lightly across the face knowing he had misspoke yet again.

Wooyoung took a deep breath and slowly shuffled towards San. He knew he had to confront this head-on.

“So, uh, so how long have you been like this?” Wooyoung asked, still finding it hard to look at San as he didn’t want to stare.

“My whole life.” San replied with a small scoff. “Or do you mean the human part?”

Wooyoung just nodded, furrowing his eyebrows.

San looked down and grabbed onto the crystal pendant around his neck, pulling it up to show Wooyoung.

“Remember when I said how Seonghwa rescued me? Since then.” He said holding the pendant in his hand. “Seonghwa gave this to me. On the ship you asked what the connection I have to this necklace was. It contains some sort of magic. I'm not quite sure what but now I can become human whenever I want! But I have to keep it on me at all times or else bad things happen… like what happened yesterday.”

“That explains a lot.” Wooyoung said thinking back to the day before while leaning back on his arms. “Damn, Seonghwa must be some sort of powerful magic user to be able to conjure that sort of power.”

San quickly shook his head. “No, he’s just like me, the magic came from somewhere else.”

“Just like you? So you mean to tell me... Seonghwa is...”

A look of shock spread across San’s face as he quickly realized what he had done. He buried his face in his hands in a mild panic.

“Oh no, no, no I should  _ not _ have said that.” San muttered frantically behind his hands, quickly lowering them again and looking at Wooyoung with a pleading expression. “Please don’t tell anyone. Especially Seonghwa. If he found out that I told you… If he found out I showed you what I was… If…”

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” Wooyoung interjected as he held his pinky finger out towards San who merely looked at it with a curious expression.

Wooyoung motioned his pinky finger closer but San didn’t quite understand what he was doing.

“Here, you go like this.” Wooyound said as he demonstrated by linking his pinky fingers together. “It’s a symbol of keeping a promise.”

San reached out and carefully linked his pinky with Wooyoung’s.

“I swear I will never tell anyone about your—or Seonghwa’s—secret.” Wooyoung said, tightly squeezing San’s pinky with his own before slowly pulling away. “You have my word.”

“Thank you.” San replied quietly.

Wooyoung and San ended up spending quite a long time at the cove just talking. The more San shared, the more empathetic Wooyoung became towards both his and Seonghwa’s situation and the more comfortable he became with this new side of San he was seeing. San even ended up going in-depth into his past, explaining about the freak show that had held him captive for years, how Seonghwa had saved him and essentially taught him how to be human, and even about his siren lineage.

“That’s why I’m such a good negotiator!” San explained proudly. “Being a siren I can use my voice to influence others.”

Wooyoung furrowed his brow in deep contemplation. While he had started to become much more comfortable around San the more they talked, the thought of him being able to manipulate him was a mildly terrifying thought. How was he to know that San wasn’t trying to manipulate him at that very moment?

“You haven’t used that on me, have you?” He said with a slight quiver in his voice.

“No! Of course not!” San said in a bit of a frantic tone. “I’ve never used it on anyone aboard the ship.” 

“But you used it on the merchant yesterday, didn’t you…” Wooyoung continued sounding somewhat disappointed in San’s actions.

“I really don’t like using it but he was trying to swindle Yunho! I couldn’t just let that happen!” San retorted. “Me and Seonghwa used to have to sell our scales to make ends meet and we had to deal with a lot of bad people who would try to cheat us out of their true value. So I learned to use it in a way that wouldn’t allow us to be taken advantage of. Just like how I did want you to be taken advantage of either.”

“I don’t really like it… but I guess you saved us a lot of hassle. So… thank you.” Wooyoung replied.

“I just don’t want you to feel threatened by me. That’s why I’m telling you all this.” San explained in a pleading tone. “I know my people can be especially cruel and do not have a very good reputation in human legends. I was taught to despise humans and I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done in the past. But since coming to the land, I’ve changed. Much like Hongjoong taught you to be more accepting of others, Seonghwa taught me so much as well. Despite what you see, siren San doesn’t exist anymore. I’m just San now.”

Wooyound looked over at him with an expression of pity. “It’s okay, I trust you. I know you’re a good person.”

“I don’t want us to be sad and distant though. We’ve become so close I don’t want to throw that all away. We can still have fun together, right?” San said in a tiny voice as he ducked down behind the edge of the rock as if hiding from the response Wooyoung might give.

Wooyoung cracked a small smile at San’s endearing behaviour.

“Whatever you want, San.” He said with a bit of a laugh. “You’re definitely the most fascinating person… merperson? I’ve ever met; the  _ only _ merperson I’ve ever met. I really do appreciate you being so honest with me.”

“Only? What about Seonghwa?” San quipped back.

“He doesn’t count.” Wooyoung said brushing off San’s statement. “I’d rather be closer with you anyways.”

San bashfully looked away while cracking a wide smile, quickly dunking himself under the water to hide how flustered he had suddenly become. Wooyoung became mildly suspicious when he hadn't resurfaced after a couple of minutes. He reluctantly crawled over to the edge of the rock to see if he could still see San. Just as he peered over, San resurfaced unexpectedly and their faces came dangerously close, taking them both by surprise. Wooyoung quickly skittered back across the rock, one hand placed across on his chest to calm himself down again.

“Sorry!” San squeaked out with a small laugh as he sunk back down in the water.

After a long moment of contemplation while sizing up the flat rock Wooyoung had remained perched on, San figured he might as well take advantage of being out in the daylight in this form for the first time in ages. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to hop out of the water for a little while to soak up some sun rays. At least then he wouldn’t have to constantly crane his neck upwards just to talk to Wooyoung.

“Do you mind if I…?” San motioned climbing up onto the top of the rock.

“You’ll be okay being out of water?” Wooyoung retorted. “You won't, like… die?”

San gave a huff with a roll of his eyes. “Please, I think I know what I’m doing.”

“Alright, alright.” Wooyoung said in a defensive tone.

“Help me up.” San instructed, holding out his hand.

Wooyoung took hold and struggled as he pulled San up onto the rock with him. San clumsily flopped onto his stomach, his tail fin unintentionally splashing water everywhere as it dangled over the edge.

“Sorry.” San said again with a bit of a giggle as he noticed Wooyoung cower away from the spray of water.

San lazily rolled over, arching his back and stretching his arms above his head, letting out a satisfied groan.

“It’s been forever since I’ve been able to feel the warm sun on my scales.” San said with a happy sigh. “It feels so nice.”

San just lay there on his back with his arms tucked behind his head and eyes closed, lazily swirling the tip of his long tail fin in the water below. Wooyoung was finally able to see San’s full form and he was rendered even more speechless than before. He couldn’t believe that this was the same person who had appeared so small when curled up beside him only a couple nights prior.

San’s scales were beautiful the way they shone in the sunlight. Wooyoung was suddenly overcome with the urge to touch them, as if to prove to himself that this San was actually real. Cautiously he reached out, his fingertips lightly grazing the iridescent scales on San’s hip. He quickly jerked his hand away at the unusual feeling as it legitimately felt like the scales of a fish.

San’s eyes had flicked open at Wooyoung’s touch. He didn’t say a word though, merely watching Wooyoung as he closely examined the scales as he lay motionless.

Wooyoung reached out again, placing the entire palm of his hand flat against San’s hip. San’s skin, or lack thereof was soothingly cool to the touch. Gently he ran his hand in small circles over the smooth scales of his tail fin. San watched intensely with bated breath as Wooyoung’s hand slowly began working its way up his side. Having hit a ticklish spot, San involuntarily contracted his muscles, spooking Wooyoung and causing him to immediately pull his hand away again. 

It quickly dawned on Wooyoung what he had just unintentionally done.

“I am so sorry!” Wooyoung blurted out, his face turning bright red in embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have just touched you like that. That was wildly inappropriate.”

San curiously focused on Wooyoung as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, curling his tail fin underneath him so that he was sitting eye-level across from him. Wooyoung’s eyes couldn’t help but trail over San’s changed facial features as his heart continued to beat rapidly in his chest. 

“Can…” Wooyoung began to say, his eyes fixated on the gills on the side of San’s neck before looking up and meeting San’s gaze. “Can I…”

Wooyoung couldn’t vocalize what he wanted to say but San just nodded as if he understood anyway. 

Ever so slowly he raised his hand, carefully reaching forward and softly cradling the side of San’s face in his palm. San leaned into his touch, briefly closing his eyes as Wooyoung ran his thumb across the scales that speckled his cheekbones. San placed his own hand tightly over Wooyoung’s, his gaze having softened as he leaned forward, grabbing onto the collar of Wooyoung’s shirt and pulling him closer until their noses were only inches apart.

A shrill whistle suddenly sounded through the air and the two immediately pulled apart with a startle, their attention having been drawn back to the ship.

“Shit. The others are on their way back.” Wooyoung cursed. “We gotta get out of here before they reach the ship.”

San gave a quick nod and slid back into the water without another word. By the time Wooyoung had hopped off the rock and waded to the sandbar San had resurfaced in his human form several feet in front of him, giving several coughs as he did so having unintentionally inhaled some sea water. They swam as fast as they could back to the ship, scaling the small rope ladder on the side of the vessel that had been left down for when the others returned from port. 

Tumbling back onto the deck sopping wet and exhausted, Wooyoung let out a sigh of relief that they had somehow managed to make it back without being caught. San stumbled getting to his feet, his wet clothes hanging off him and weighing him down. Wooyoung just lay there on his back as he started laughing to himself while eying San.

“What’s so funny?” San retorted giving a bit of a laugh himself while running his fingers through his wet hair.

“It’s nothing. It’s… everything. I don’t even know.” Wooyoung replied as he lazily pulled himself up into a sitting position. “Either way we need to get dried off before the others get here or there will be a lot of awkward questions needing to be answered.”

San extended a hand to help Wooyoung up before they both quickly headed below deck to the cabins.

As San didn’t exactly have any spare dry clothes to change into, Wooyoung had pulled him into his own cabin and rifled through his own stash of clothes to find something for him to wear. San stood nearby, watching intently and teeth chattering from being damp in the cool interior of the ship. After tossing San some clothes Wooyoung continued to dig through his chest of clothes to find something for himself while San quickly changed behind him. The peasant shirt Wooyoung had given San was at least two sizes too big for him and hung loosely off his small frame, baring an obscene amount of collar bone.

Wooyoung had instructed him on how to install a clothes line at the back of the cabin and San went to work draping his wet clothes over the flimsy cord. Eventually Wooyoung found something for himself and peeled himself out of his own wet clothes. As he removed his shirt, he paused momentarily and gave a bit of a tired sigh, looking over the deep purple bruises that were spattered across his torso from the altercation the day before. He looked over San who was casually standing around, seemingly no worse for wear, simply distracted and fiddling with the oversized sleeves of his shirt.

“How are you not exhausted?” Wooyoung said with a scoff. “I feel like I’ve just lived through three consecutive days of hard labour and here it’s like you didn’t even break a sweat.”

San just shrugged. When he finally looked up and caught a glimpse of Wooyoung’s toned yet battered physique, blush immediately crept onto his cheeks and he quickly averted his gaze.

Wooyoung gave a huff, noticing San’s timid disposition. “What? You can’t suddenly pretend to be shy  _ now _ when twenty minutes ago you literally turned into a mythical creature right in front of me.”

San just blinked like a deer in the headlights at his comment.

Wooyoung tossed his wet shirt to the floor with a wet plop, but before he could grab the dry shirt he had selected, San had moved.

San strode across the width of the small cabin until he was directly in front of him. He didn’t hesitate at all before pressing between his legs and encroaching on Wooyoung’s personal space.

Wooyoung nearly took a step back when he felt his balance falter, but held his ground. Their eyes met for a smoldering several seconds, the air between them stilling. And then, in the absence of rejection, San moved again.

He roughly shoved Wooyoung back onto his bed, boldly straddling him as he did so. Wooyoung was caught up in just how brazen he’d become, a shiver running down his entire body when San leaned in close and began kissing up the side of his neck. Wooyoung tilted his chin upwards and let out a soft hum as San kissed along the sharp edge of his jawbone.

“This is what you wanted, right?” San murmured as he pulled away ever so slightly, searching for reassurance in Wooyoung’s eyes.

“Yeah.” Wooyoung breathed heavily.

Wooyoung pulled San in close. Even in his human form San still smelled of the sea, like a refreshing tropical breeze off the nearby atolls. When their lips touched, he could taste the salt that still lingered there. Wooyoung delicately parted San’s lips with his tongue, his movements slow and languid but deliberate as he began to deeply kiss him. The more he tasted, the more he relished his aquatic aura and the more wanted every inch of San to be his and his alone. Reaching up and threading his finger’s through San’s wet hair, Wooyoung tightened his grasp on him as San intrinsically reacted to his every touch, quickening their pace. It wasn’t long before their kissing had reached a fever pitch with Wooyoung pulling away with a gasp, desperate to come up for air.

“Wait, wait, wait, not so rough!” He panted, having momentarily forgotten about his own injuries, his swollen bottom lip giving a painful throb. “Also, I need to  _ breathe _ .”

“Sorry.” San mumbled between kissing him, becoming much more gentle as he did so.

San cautiously ran his hand up Wooyoung’s chest, carefully navigating around the scrapes and bruises as Wooyoung made a grab for San’s shirt.  _ His  _ shirt. Something about the way San looked in his clothes, almost drowning in them, was oddly intoxicating. Wooyoung’s hand slid up beneath the loose fabric easily, fingertips lighting upon the curve of his waist. Where there had once been that foreign smattering of scales, only human skin remained. The cool lingerings of the seawater were long gone, leaving San’s flesh blazing hot beneath his touch. Wooyoung could not help but to seek more, his grip sliding higher, until his hand settled on the dip of San’s waist.

San rolled his hips down against him and it suddenly felt as though the room was on fire. A startled, strangled moan cut through the quiet room and Wooyoung realized as their breaths tangled together that he had no earthly idea from which of them the sound had come. Perhaps both.

Every touch had his skin thrumming. He chased that feeling, rolling his hips up to meet the steady rhythm that San was creating, like the cadence of gentle ocean waves. Wooyoung leaned up to kiss him again, their breaths and moans mingling together in the infinitesimal space left between their lips.

They had been so involved with each other that they didn’t even hear the others board the boat. Nor did they hear the approaching footsteps down the hall. It wasn’t until the door to the cabin swung open that Wooyoung’s attention was finally pulled away from San. Hongjoong strode into the room partially distracted while looking over a small notebook in his hands. In a panicked reflex Wooyoung launched San off of himself and he went tumbling onto the floor with a surprised yelp. 

San lay splayed on the ground, panting at Hongjoong’s feet, stopping him dead in his tracks. Hongjoong looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow and an air of disbelief as to what he might have just stumbled upon.

“Dammit Hongjoong, can’t you knock!?” Wooyoung barked, partially out of breath as he struggled to find his shirt again and throw it on.

“Knock? When entering my own cabin?” Hongjoong said with a scoff.

“He has a point.” San said quietly as he shakily picked himself up off the floor, giving his back a painful-sounding crack as he did so.

Wooyoung shot San an apologetic look.

“The hell were you two doing in here?” Hongjoong asked as he took a couple paces further into the room and saw the array of clothing items strewn across the floor.

“Laundry, if you must know.” Wooyoung said in a snarky tone as he exaggeratedly pointed to the wet garments hanging at the back of the cabin.

Wooyoung knew that Hongjoong didn’t believe him in the slightest.

“Ahh. Right.  _ Laundry _ .” Hongjoong said in a sickeningly fake voice while cracking a sly smile. “I’m sure Mingi taught you a thing or two about doing  _ laundry _ . Just make sure you clean things up once you’re done. I’ll guess I’ll leave you two be.”

Wooyoung’s entire face and ears had turned beet red, half in embarrassment and half in restraint while trying not to throttle Hongjoong for his snarky remarks right where he stood.

“Uhh actually I think I should be the one leaving.” San commented as he reached for his boots, pressing them tightly against his body and giving a quick nod to Hongjoong. “Thanks for letting me borrow the change of clothes, Wooyoung!”

San quickly slid past Hongjoong and out into the small hallway, making a beeline for his own cabin. He was not at all in the mood to deal with anyone else at that moment and he had hoped he could just hide away in his cabin for a little while to calm himself down. His heart was still pounding in his ears and his gut did a loop with every step he took. 

He had actually never before been involved with a human,  _ as a human _ so this experience was entirely new and a little overwhelming to him. 

Seonghwa had often doted upon him with physical comfort and kisses when asked but San had never felt this type of raw intensity. Was his body supposed to feel like every inch of it was on fire? Was he supposed to feel like his intestines were tying themselves in knots at the mere thought of Wooyoung? Is this how a human body was supposed to function? All he knew was that he just wanted, he  _ needed _ to be alone for a little bit until he could get his thoughts back in order.

Of course the universe was not willing to give him a single break as Seonghwa was already waiting in the cabin when he arrived. As soon as San saw him, he let out a small whine in frustration while clinging even more tightly onto his boots.

“What happened to your clothes?” Seonhwa asked as he slowly looked him up and down.

“Wooyoung lent me these. My other clothes got, um, sort of wet? And are, uh hanging out to dry.” San quickly replied, tossing his boots at the foot of his bed and throwing himself facedown on the small mattress if hopes of no further questions.

“You smell of the ocean.” Seonghwa commented without missing a beat. “You shifted.”

San let out another small whine into his pillow before rolling onto his side to face Seonghwa, slowly curling in on himself.

“I might have gone for an unplanned swim, yes.” San continued in a strained voice. “But it’s okay! There’s a hidden cove not too far from here where no one can see. And after yesterday it was probably for the best to make sure this thing still worked.”

San quickly pulled the pendant out from under his shirt and gave it a nervous look-over.

“You really need to be more careful. These waters are filled with other merfolk, I saw their scales for sale at the market. We wouldn’t want to accidentally run into them. What if they had seen you?” Seonghwa began to launch into what San knew was going to a long lecture.

“All I wanted to do was get a little bit of the sunlight I’ve been denied for the past five years!” San spat back. “I would have been fine. You’re the one exiled, not me.”

San immediately regretted what he had said as he watched the pained look spread across Seonghwa’s face.

“Seonghwa… I’m sorry.” San said in a quiet voice, sitting back up on his bed. “I didn’t mean—”

“No, you’re right.” Seonghwa replied in a tone of defeat.

A deafening silence fell over the room. 

“You’re probably tired. I will leave you to rest.” Seonghwa said quietly, leaving the room before San could say another word.

San could feel a lump forming in his throat. Even if he had wanted to chase after Seonghwa to apologize he knew there was nothing he could do to take back the hurtful things he had said. Angrily he flopped back down on the bed, burying his face into the pillow once more and yelling until his vocal chords were raw.

***

The sun was beginning to dip below the line of the horizon when the crew of the ship began the disembarkation process. Their restocking mission at the port city complete, it was time to head on to the final leg of their journey to the Northern Islands. They had been at sea for such a long time already but the destination finally felt within an attainable range.

“Once everything has been loaded, instruct the crew to raise the anchor, we set sail tonight.” Hongjoong said to Yunho as he made his final rounds below deck. “Seonghwa, think you could give us a strong tailwind?”

Seonghwa nodded and headed above to wait for the signal that they were ready to set sail. He took a seat on the steps that lead from the main deck to the upper deck as he watched the crew frantically work to prepare the ship. It was quite a surprise when several minutes later Hongjoong made a rare appearance up on deck.

“Hongjoong?” Seonghwa said in disbelief as the captain made his way over to him. “I didn’t expect you to be up here?”

“I figured if I don’t start making a conscious effort to combat my fears they will continue to have a stronghold over me.” A hint of nervousness still hung on his voice. “Besides, what you said the other day really stuck with me. If you’re here I think I’ll be okay.”

Seonghwa’s heart gave a bit of a leap at his kind words and he couldn’t hide a fond look from spreading across his face.

“But here, I brought you something.” Hongjoong said as he reached into the bag he had slung over his shoulder. “I picked this up at the market today. Repayment, from yesterday.”

He pulled out the largest, reddest apple Seonghwa had ever seen and playfully tossed it to him.

“Ah, thank you.” Seonghwa said with a small laugh as he fumbled to catch it. “I’m sure it will be delicious.”

Seonghwa carefully wiped the apple with his shirt sleeve as Hongjoong came and sat down beside him, pulling out an apple for himself.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sunset from the ship.” Hongjoong mumbled, his mouth full of apple. “I’m always hiding below deck, sometimes I forget how beautiful they can be.”

Seonghwa just hummed in agreement as he took a bite of his apple. They both quietly sat there, watching the sun sink lower and lower as the sails unfurled and the ship finally began to make its way back to the open sea.

“Seonghwa!” Yunho called. “It’s your time to shine!”

“Right!” Seonghwa responded, confidently getting to his feet, tossing the half uneaten apple back to Hongjoong and heading out to the center of the deck.

Seonghwa began to summon his powers but something felt… strange. Something felt off. Seonghwa shrugged off the feeling and continued with his work. It was not long at all before the winds around them picked up ...but only slightly. Seonghwa made a frustrated click with his tongue as he gave his hands an aggressive shake at his sides as if increasing the blood flow might help.

He tried once more but instead of the powerful gusts of wind he had hoped for he was only able to conjure a strong breeze that hardly ruffled the sails.

“Seonghwa, something wrong?” Hongjoong called from the stairs.

“No, I think.... I just must just be exhausted from today’s work.” Seonghwa called back. “I’m terribly sorry. It seems like my powers are at their limits. I won’t be of much help tonight.”

“That’s fine! We can manage from here.” Yunho replied.

Seonghwa tried to play things off as being alright but internally he was absolutely distraught. He felt like a failure, especially since Hongjoong had been watching and he couldn’t even provide the one service he had promised him. Seonghwa just couldn’t understand why his powers were suddenly not working when the day before he was able to conjure a severe lightning storm in only a matter of seconds. 

Remaining in the center of the deck he momentarily zoned out, lost in his head as he nervously flexed his fingers in front of him. He just kept repeating the same questions in his mind over and over. The gentle touch of Hongjoong’s hand on his arm however, abruptly pulled him back to his senses.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hongjoong asked in a sympathetic tone barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what’s wrong.” Seonghwa replied, his voice catching as he did so.

“Why don’t we go pay Yeosang a visit, okay?” Hongjoong said as he gently pulled him off to the side.

When they showed up at Yeosang’s cabin, Yeosang was quick to send Hongjoong away telling him to go and find San. It wasn’t long before he had returned with San in tow and Yeosang sent him off once more for privacy’s sake. 

San reluctantly entered the room, sitting quietly perched on top of a counter in the corner as he watched Yeosang work. He barely spoke except when asked to answer a question about his own health in an attempt to compare and contrast Seonghwa’s condition to his.

But Yeosang could find absolutely nothing physically wrong with Seonghwa. The flesh curse had remained subdued within Seonghwa for the most part despite still lingering deep within Yeosang’s left eye. The longer Yeosang tried to figure things out with no answers, the more internally frustrated Seonghwa became with himself.

“Wait, how long have we been at sea?” He asked, pressing his temple in an attempt to help him remember.

Yeosang quickly flipped through some log books. “About seven weeks now.”

“Damn.” Seonghwa cursed while pulling out his pendant. “How did I not think of this earlier?”

The small cracked crystal had faded from a brilliant purple to an almost dull grey in colour. 

“Do you think this is because of the flesh curse? Has it returned?” Yeosang asked in a concerned voice while looking at the pendant.

“It’s because he hasn’t shifted recently.” San commented from his corner while fiddling with his own pendant which was still a much more normal purple colour.

“Hongjoong said we should only be at sea two more weeks, I should be able to tough it out until then.” Seonghwa commented.

“Seonghwa you know your body is going to start slowing down if you don’t shift soon.” San replied in a small but concerned tone.

Seonghwa winced at the thought of shifting after the miserably painful experience last time but he knew San was right. That shift, as brief as it was, probably only bought him a week at most and he was currently running on borrowed time. 

This was not the first time this had happened. Years ago when he had first headed out on his own he was foolish and hadn’t listened to the warnings of the sea witch. They had explicitly told him that he would be required to shift within each new moon cycle in order to sustain his human body but he had pushed himself nearly two months without shifting. Eventually his body gave out and he had ended up collapsing in the street. A passing rainstorm had revived him just enough for him to be able to drag his weary body to the sea. If not for the rain, he easily would have perished. From that moment on he made a promise to himself to be more vigilant of his shifts. 

And he had kept that promise, at least until now.

“I fear San might be right.” Yeosang said. “The excessive use of your magic over the last two days probably hasn’t helped much either.”

San looked at Seonghwa in surprise as he had no idea Seonghwa had even used his powers apart from the most recent failed attempt that he had only learned of moments before.

“Is there any way you could shift before we reach the Northern Islands?” Yeosang continued

“In the open sea?” Seonghwa shook his head. “It would be too dangerous. I should be alright for the remainder of the journey as long as I use my powers sparingly and just not overexert myself.”

“Are you sure?” Yeosang asked.

Seonghwa nodded. “I’m sure. I can do this.”

“If we’re done here, I have some things to take care of.” San said, hopping down from his perch and disappearing into the hallway before either Yeosang or Seonghwa could respond to him.

Seonghwa was quick to thank Yeosang for his services and head back to his cabin. Laying down on his small bed his head swam with intrusive thoughts, the worst being that he couldn’t keep holding San back and he couldn’t keep letting Hongjoong down.

Two weeks. That’s all he needed.

Just two more weeks and he would finally be able to make things right again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to ScarlettSiren for helping me with writing the spicy bit. ILY~


	12. Chapter 12

After a week of smooth sailing, everything miraculously was ahead of schedule. They were finally less than a week away from reaching their final destination in the Northern Islands and excitement was slowly building among the crew members as they happily chatted about what they were going to do with their extended leave time. Hongjoong and Jongho were still working on devising the best path of travel for the final leg of their trip as the waters around the Northern Islands were not exactly the most inviting when it came to natural hazards and governing bodies alike.

Hongjoong was intensely focused on the main trade route Jongho had mapped out for them, his face only inches from the map as Seonghwa stood close-by, leaning over his shoulder and carefully listening to Hongjoong and Jongho’s discussion.

“Do you think it would make any difference if we cut through this area here?” Hongjoong muttered while deep in thought, pointing to a large reef and a small cluster of atolls on the map. “Or would it be best to stay in the open waters?”

“We might be able to shave half a day or so if we were to take that route.” Jongho commented. “The currents would be working in our favour at least.”

Hongjoong hummed to himself in contemplation as he blindly reached out, feeling for the nearby compass, unintentionally resting his hand on Seonghwa’s. Seonghwa’s stomach gave a small flutter as he looked down at Hongjoong’s hand and then quickly back up at the captain, momentarily making eye contact as he did so. Hongjoong quickly pulled his hand away in a fluster.

“Ah sorry.” He said with a small laugh as Seonghwa passed him the compass he had been looking for.

Jongho lazily looked between the two of them with a blank expression before shaking his head and turning back to marking out the new course.

“Looking at things, if this favorable weather keeps up we might actually arrive at the main port city of the Northern Islands three days ahead of schedule.” Jongho commented.

“That is wonderful news!” Seonghwa sighed in a relieved tone. “I will go inform San. I’m sure it will provide some welcome relief for him as he has been as anxious as me about reaching our destination.”

Seonghwa excused himself from the discussion and headed for the door, giving Hongjoong’s shoulder a light squeeze in thanks as he passed by. Hongjoong quickly ducked his head in mild embarrassment to hide the wide smile that had spread across his face.

Jongho continued to look curiously at him, leaning down and tilting his head to meet Hongjoong’s gaze. He gave Hongjoong a questioning raise of his eyes when they made eye contact. Mild panic filled Hongjoong eyes and he quickly looked away.

“You been acting weird lately. You know, your time is running out if you’re gonna make a move.” Jongho said with a sly smirk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hongjoong huffed, quickly righting himself and messily rearranging the cartography supplies in front of him before heading to the door of the room and casually waving Jongho off. “Carry on. Or whatever.”

Jongho gave a scoff and just casually rolled his eyes.

***

Seonghwa had been following Yeosang’s instructions and had abstained from using his powers since they left port nearly a week ago. He was lucky he didn’t have to as the weather had amazingly been in their favour but the more time he spent with Hongjoong—which had become quite frequently as Hongjoong kept assigning tasks with him specifically—the more anxious he had started to become thinking that he wouldn’t be able to perform in a time of actual need like he had promised. 

In an attempt to conserve as much energy as possible, when he wasn’t attending to his duties, he had been spending the majority of the day sleeping. So much so that many of the crew members had started referring to him as a ghost once more as he was rarely seen around the ship. He could feel his body slowing down but without a chance to properly shift away from the open waters, he could only desperately cling to the thought of reaching their destination in time.

Despite Seonghwa’s good news of the estimated early arrival, San had become despondent. He knew Seonghwa wouldn’t listen to his pleas about needing to shift immediately no matter how much he might beg and constantly being reminded of Seonghwa’s deteriorating condition was weighing heavily on his mental state. In an attempt to distract himself from his anxieties, he had thrown himself into his crew duties and barely spent any time in their cabin other than to sleep a couple hours a night, spending the majority of his time with Wooyoung instead.

Seonghwa did not blame him for his distancing in the slightest, in fact he encouraged him to spend more time with the crew as San was finally making leaps and bounds with his own independence for the first time since coming to land. He knew he could no longer be the anchor tying him down.

Later that evening, unable to sleep due to a wandering mind, Seonghwa found himself standing on the upper deck. The weather had become unseasonably warm but it made for wonderfully pleasant conditions on deck. He walked over to the side railing and gazed out over the vast expanse of water. Leaning the majority of his weight against the railing, he took in a deep breath, the familiar smell of the Northern seas filling his nostrils and giving him a warm sense of nostalgia. His past memories might have been hazy but in his soul he could feel he was getting closer to home.

“I thought I’d be able to find you out there.” Hongjoong’s voice said from behind him.

“Ah, Hongjoong!” Seonghwa replied with a surprised smile, turning to face him as Hongjoong jogged up the stairs.

Upon reaching the deck level, Hongjoong cautiously approached Seonghwa, not wanting to get too close to the edge. He was still several paces from him when he froze in his tracks, awkwardly keeping a distance while shoving his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders in a defensive stance. Hongjoong also quickly averted his eyes away from Seonghwa. Seonghwa could see he was nervous and merely figured the open waters were the cause, little did he know that there were other things also occupying Hongjoong’s mind.

“So, uh, nice weather, eh?” Hongjoong said in an attempt to make small talk.

He was usually much more charismatic so this awkward speech pattern threw Seonghwa off a little.

“Yes, I have truly missed this weather. It’s so refreshing.” Seonghwa said as he deeply inhaled once more, letting the sea breeze gently ruffle through his hair.

Hongjoong anxiously shifted on his feet as the boat rocked beneath them. He would try to look out towards the sea but within seconds he would quickly lower his gaze again. The waters were calm but Hongjoong’s underlying fears were still very evident. Seonghwa slowly turned and outstretched his hand towards him.

“If you trust me…” Seonghwa calmly began to say.

Hongjoong nervously looked between Seonghwa and his hand before reaching, cautiously placing his hand in Seonghwa’s palm. Seonghwa gently linked his fingers with Hongjoong’s and ever-so-slowly guided him closer.

“That’s it, it’s okay.” Seonghwa said reassuringly as Hongjoong took a couple timid steps towards him. “I won’t let go. But only go as far as you want. You can stop at any time.”

Hongjoong trusted Seonghwa but his heart was pounding in his ears and his anxiety was quickly bubbling up to the surface. He squeezed his eyes shut and tightly grabbed onto Seonghwa with both hands. He had made it this far, he refused to give up now. Closer and closer to the edge he inched, Seonghwa constantly giving him soft words of encouragement with every step.

Eventually Hongjoong made it to the railing, immediately clinging to it with a white-knuckle grip as Seonghwa calmly stood behind him, bracing him on either side. Slowly Hongjoong opened his eyes. The view was absolutely incredible.

“Wow, it’s really quite breathtaking, isn’t it…” Hongjoong said referring to the vast expanse of waves before them, a hint of nervousness in his voice as he took in a deep breath of the sea air.

Seonghwa hummed in agreement but his eyes weren’t looking out at the sea at all, instead they were fixed solely on Hongjoong.

The ship suddenly hit a rough patch of water and gave a small upwards lurch. In a panic, Hongjoong immediately let go of the railing, spinning around and tightly clinging to Seonghwa, instinctively burying his face against his chest. His knees buckled slightly beneath him as he desperately tried to keep the intrusive thoughts of falling overboard at bay. 

“I’ve got you.” Seonghwa cooed reassuringly as he wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, using his dwindling powers to calm the waves ever so slightly. “There, is that better?”

“I’m so sorry.” Hongjoong mumbled, slowly loosening his grip on Seonghwa. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Battling your past traumas and trying to overcome them isn’t embarrassing at all, it shows how strong you really are.” Seonghwa replied, empathetically meeting his gaze.

Hongjoong gave a small laugh, balling his fists in the front of Seonghwa’s shirt and playfully headbutting his chest. “You always know the right thing to say, don’t you?”

“Hardly. But it’s the truth.” Seonghwa said with a smile. “For someone who has been through so much, you are incredibly strong.”

Pulling back a little, Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa. The low sun on the horizon behind him had crowned him with a brilliant halo of light. He looked absolutely ethereal standing in front of him.

“Seonghwa… do you believe in destiny?” Hongjoong asked.

“Hmm? How do you mean?” Seonghwa hummed lightly.

“Something about you, something about all this, I feel like we were destined to meet.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Seonghwa said with a contented sigh. “I do have to say, I’ve never met anyone like you before. I don’t know what it is but I’ve just felt myself drawn to you.” 

Seonghwa’s heartbeat began to increase when he suddenly realized what he was confessing. Hongjoong carefully mulled over Seonghwa’s words, hesitating only momentarily.

“Forgive me for the impulsive thing I’m about to do.”

Seonghwa curiously raised his eyebrows at Hongjoong’s odd statement. 

Hongjoong tightened his hold on the front of Seonghwa’s shirt, pulling him down while pushing himself up on his toes until their lips met in a soft kiss. Seonghwa let out a small murmur in surprise but did not hesitate at all in gently returning the kiss.

Seonghwa’s hands quickly found the small of Hongjoong’s back and pulled him in tighter.

“But what if your crew sees us like this?” Seonghwa muttered, briefly tilting his chin upwards as Hongjoong nipped at his jawline.

“Please.” Hongjoong huffed as he wrapped his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, lifting himself higher, eyes focused on Seonghwa’s lips. “As if I haven’t seen all of them do worse.”

Seonghwa gave a bit of a laugh as Hongjoong continued to overwhelm his senses with more small kisses before he carefully lowered himself back down, still holding tightly onto Seonghwa. With his head resting on Seonghwa’s chest, they just stood there watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. Seonghwa gently rubbed the top of Hongjoong’s head with his chin. Hongjoong’s heartbeat was still racing but for once it wasn’t because he was scared. For once he actually felt safe.

As the sun disappeared and a cool mist began to hang over the waters below, Hongjoong and Seonghwa retreated below deck to the ship’s study. Hongjoong sat closely beside Seonghwa, resting his head on Seonghwa’s shoulder while aimlessly playing with Seonghwa’s fingers in his hands.

"So, uh, this might sound a little strange but you know how I said I had seen the others, uh, do worse?” Hongjoong said with a quiet laugh to himself.

Seonghwa just hummed.

“Well, Wooyoung and San really seem to have taken a liking to each other… to that extent." Hongjoong continued.

"Oh?"

"Yeah I walked in on them, uh, well I don't know how to put this… they were, um getting very  _ well acquainted _ with each other?" Upon seeing Seonghwa’s confused expression, Hongjoong immediately began a fast-paced string of word-vomit. “I mean I hope me saying this doesn’t upset you. I know you two are really close but I don’t really know your exact relationship so I’m sorry if I overstepped any sort of boundary with my words or actions or whatever but I just thought I should let you know—”

Seonghwa, who had quickly gotten the hint as Hongjoong rambled on, let out a hearty laugh at Hongjoong’s frantic disposition.

"It’s fine, really." He said with a huff while smiling fondly while giving Hongjoong’s hands a squeeze. "Honestly I'm  _ glad _ San is opening up and becoming close with others. For the longest time I was all he had, he hasn’t really  _ known _ anyone else. I love him absolutely to death but I fear with my declining health there's no guarantee I'll always be able to be there for him. It’s a wonderful relief that he's finally finding others to also confide in."

"Seonghwa…" Hongjoong whispered while giving him a forlorn expression.

"No, no, no, please do not worry about me." Seonghwa replied. "San along with you and Yeosang have already helped a tremendous amount. I have a plan once we reach our destination and I pray that it'll work ...but I have to also be realistic and plan for the worst. Just in case."

"I can see you really care for him." Hongjoong said.

Seonghwa gave a nod. “I would give my life for him.”

Hongjoong sat there, deeply contemplating things for a few minutes.

“I don’t fully know what your business in the Northern Islands is, as that is yours alone.” Hongjoong began to say. “But should your health prevail, I would not object if you—and San as well, if so he wishes—were to become a more permanent member of our crew.”

“Hongjoong...” Seonghwa said with a hint of hesitation in his voice. “I wish I could say yes, I really do but… right now… I…”

“I understand.” Hongjoong said in a small defeated tone.

"Please do not take it the wrong way. I cherish you and the rest of the crew greatly but… there's a lot I haven't been telling you and I—"

"It's completely fine, you don't have to explain." Hongjoong said, cutting him off. "We should just make the best of the remaining days then, hmm?"

Seonghwa gave him a small nod and a smile as Hongjoong lay his head back on his shoulder.

Suddenly a strange booming sound could be heard off in the distance and Hongjoong abruptly sat upright again.

“What’s that sound?” Seonghwa asked. "It couldn't be thunder, could it?"

When he looked over at Hongjoong his eyes were wide and filled with panic. Immediately Hongjoong got to his feet and rushed out of the room heading towards the deck.

“Hongjoong what is it?” Seonghwa asked as he quickly got up to follow him.

“Cannon fire!” Hongjoong said, a hint of fear in his voice as he wretched the hatch door open and disappeared above.

By the time Seonghwa made it on deck many of the crew were already there with Hongjoong quickly giving orders.

“Captain!” Jongho called from the upper deck, lowering a telescope in his hands. “Military ship off the starboard!”

“Right!” Hongjoong called. “Yunho, San! Raise the merchant colours!”

Yunho was quick to grab the merchant flags, handing them to San who quickly began to scale the mast, unfurling the small flags in record time.

“Hongjoong what’s going on?” Seonghwa asked quietly, taking a gentle grasp on Hongjoong’s wrist.

“It’s a military ship from the nearby islands. They fired a warning at us. They must think we’re a pirate ship.” Hongjoong said, his hands shaking from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

“Will everything be okay?” Seonghwa followed up.

“We have all the correct paperwork and logs. We’re only passing through so they shouldn’t give us any trouble.”

“But it still worries you…”

“Yeah.” Hongjoong heavily breathed, holding tightly onto Seonghwa’s hand out of the view of the others.

The entirety of the crew slowly gathered on the deck as the military ship gained on them. This was not their first time dealing with foreign authorities but they could never really be sure how things would turn out as many of the maritime authorities were not as clean cut as they let others believe. Eventually the military ship matched their speed, sailing parallel to them.

“Prepare to be boarded!'' One of the crew from the military ship shouted as large planks were lowered into place across the two ships and a dozen or so military men hurriedly made their way across onto Hongjoong’s ship, mobilizing in an intimidating fashion.

“Everyone just stay calm. We have nothing to hide, there is nothing to worry about.” Hongjoong quietly instructed despite his nerves coiling into a knot in his stomach, digging his nails into Seonghwa’s hand.

“Who is the captain on this ship?” A brutish man wearing the garb of a military captain asked as he pushed through the ranks in front of him, asserting his intimidating stature over Hongjoong’s crew, eyeing them over one by one as he passed by.

“I am.” Hongjoong said, slowly letting go of Seonghwa and stepping forward.

The military captain gave a small scoff as he looked over Hongjoong’s small stature.

“They let children captain ships these days?” He laughed with a smirk as he placed a hand on his hip.

The captain’s words struck a nerve in Hongjoong and he gave his neck an agitated tick but tried his best to keep a cool head. Unfortunately Wooyoung had other ideas.

“How dare you talk down to him like that? Who the fuck do you think you are?!” Wooyoung shouted as he pushed his way through the crew to confront the captain.

Hongjoong quickly raised a hand to stop him. “Wooyoung, now is not the time.” He said coldly.

“As if you’re much more of a threat.” The captain scoffed looking over Wooyoung.

Mingi quickly rushed forward, grabbing onto Wooyoung, pinning his arms behind his back and dragging him away from the front of the crowd. Wooyoung struggled incessantly against him hurling a number of expletives at the captain.

“I apologize for my first mate’s outburst. May I ask what warrants this boarding,  _ sir _ ?” Hongjoong said in a cold tone, turning back to the captain.

“There have been reports of pirate ships in the area causing trouble.” The captain explained. “State your business in these waters.”

“We are merely passing through on the way to the Northern Islands. We are a trade ship, nothing more.” Hongjoong motioned for Yunho to step forward.

Yunho quickly stood by Hongjoong, pulling out all their international trade documentation to present to them. The captain didn’t even look at the papers but instead tossed them behind him to one of his subordinates.

“What is the value of the goods you’re currently carrying?” The captain said as he encroached into Yunho's personal space as an intimidation tactic, causing Yunho to quickly avert eye contact out of nervousness.

“It’s, uh, it’s all right there, on the second page. Full itemized logs of what we’re exporting.” Yunho stuttered out, pointing at the log books that one of the military members was holding.

“How much does it say?” He barked back at his subordinate.

The subordinate who looked no older than eighteen was quickly flipping through the totals.

“It appears to be worth around eight hundred thousand gold.” He replied.

The captain let out a long whistle at the exorbitant amount. He casually drew a short knife from his hip and held it under Yunho’s chin. Yunho gave a nervous gulp as he tilted his head upwards to avoid the sharp point.

“You wouldn’t be lying to us about what goods you’re carrying would you?” The captain snarled. “That’s an awfully large amount of product for such a small and shabby-looking trade ship.”

“Th-that’s everything.” Yunho nervously replied, beads of sweat starting to appear across his brow. “We just recently made port to offload and restock. That’s why there’s so much.”

The captain pressed the edge of the knife into the underside of Yunho’s chin until he let out a small gasp in pain. Hongjoong couldn’t watch any longer and quickly shoved the captain’s arm down, allowing Yunho to quickly back away, rubbing the sore spot on his chin. The captain furiously turned on his heels to face Hongjoong.

“How dare you lay a hand on me.” He growled, brandishing the knife directly at Hongjoong.

“How dare you use such intimidation tactics on my crew!” Hongjoong spat back. “We have provided the necessary paperwork, you have no other business here. Please leave my ship immediately.”

“Sir, he appears correct. His paperwork all checks out.” The military boy responded, reaching out to hand the papers back to Hongjoong.

The captain swiftly knocked the papers out of the boy’s hand, scattering them across the deck and causing several of the documents to go fluttering into the dark waters below. Yunho gave a small cry as all his hard work being so carelessly handled and subsequently destroyed.

“Hmm, seems like they’re missing some documentation after all.” He scowled.

Hongjoong’s jaw was locked and his fists were tightly clenched at his sides in an attempt to calm himself down just enough not to lash out. Seonghwa was having a difficult time watching Hongjoong and the crew be taken advantage of and cautiously stepped up behind Hongjoong.

“Hongjoong, do you want me to—” Seonghwa began to say in a voice barely above a whisper before Hongjoong cut him off.

“No, I don’t want to cause anymore trouble.” Hongjoong replied curtly.

Seonghwa quietly backed away again, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

“Well, to make up for the missing documentation.” The captain began to say. “In order to prove you aren’t pirates, you’ll need to pay the merchant tax.”

“Fine. Whatever. So be it.” Hongjoong replied curtly.

“I think one hundred thousand gold should be enough.” The captain said with a sly roll of his head.

Hongjoong angrily sucked on his teeth at the amount the captain threw out knowing that giving that amount would literally leave them with barely a penny leftover.

“But that’s literally all we have!” Wooyoung yelled from the back of the crowd, still struggling against Mingi’s grasp.

“Then you should have no problem paying it if you have it on hand.” The captain replied smugly.

“Yunho, get the gold.” Hongjoong instructed.

Yunho nodded and quickly disappeared below deck, reappearing minutes later with a small wooden chest in his hands.

“Here, this is all of it.” Yunho said, passing it reluctantly to the captain.

“Count it!” He barked at his subordinate who quickly got to work counting out the gold coins and bars in the small chest.

“It’s all here. One hundred thousand.” He replied after a couple minutes.

“Good.” The captain said as he turned to face his crew. “We will be taking our leave now.”

With that the military retreated back to their own ship, taking all of Hongjoong’s crew’s profits from the past two months with them. As soon as the planks had been to move and the ships had begun to separate again, Yunho quickly rushed around attempting to pick up as many of the remaining documents logs that were still scattered across the deck as more and more pages slowly blew into the sea. Yeosang had quickly stepped up to help him and was attempting to fish out some of the pages that had blown into the water.

Mingi finally let go of Wooyoung once the coast was clear and he angrily sprinted over to the side of the deck, hurling more expletives at the military ship.

“You corrupt bastards!” Wooyoung yelled leaning over the railing. “We’ll report you to the maritime authorities! You’re the  _ real _ pirates here! You won’t get away with this!”

“Leave it, Wooyoung.” Hongjoong said dejectedly, placing a hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder and slowly guiding him back on deck. “I’m sure karma will catch up with them.”

“Hongjoong they literally took everything we had!” Wooyoung said, turning back to him.

“I know. We will just have to work harder once we reach our destination to make up for it.” Hongjoong said with a sigh. “We should be thankful we escaped this whole ordeal with our lives and without anyone getting hurt.”

Wooyoung just gave a long frustrated sigh and stalked away across the deck.

“You handled that situation a lot better than how I would have.” Seonghwa said quietly as he approached Hongjoong. “I probably would have sunk their ship without hesitation.”

“Sometimes it’s best to be non confrontational.” Hongjoong replied in a defeated tone. “Especially when you’re severely outnumbered by men who are armed to the teeth and could obliterate you in a second. But honestly I wouldn’t be mad if their ship was sunk in the next storm they encountered. Who knows how many ships they’ve preyed on. We definitely weren’t the first and we won’t be the last.”

Hongjoong gave his brow a frustrated rub as he tried to figure out what to do next. It was out of the corner of his eye that he noticed movement coming from the military ship. They were rolling out their cannons. They were going to attack. Hongjoong's heart immediately dropped to his stomach as his worst fear was quickly becoming a new reality.

“No…” Hongjoong gasped, his eyes wide as he made a frantic grasp for Seonghwa’s arm.

Hongjoong couldn’t even take his eyes off of the military ship. It was like his brain couldn’t process what he was seeing.

“What is it?” Seonghwa asked calmly, being not quite as perceptive to the other ship’s actions.

“This is bad. This is very bad. We aren’t safe. Everyone is in danger.” Hongjoong began muttering to himself as his grip on Seonghwa’s shirt sleeve tightened.

Hongjoong briefly snapped himself back to his senses as the reality and severity of everything came crashing down around him. He knew he had to act fast.

“We’re under attack! Everyone take cover!” Hongjoong yelled as the crew members on deck immediately scrambled in every direction.

Hongjoong was quick to pull Seonghwa down onto the deck with him, quickly covering his head and as much of his body with his own.

It was mere seconds before they heard shouts to fire from the military ship followed by the deafening boom of half a dozen cannons firing and the terrifying splintering sound of the wood of their ship as they found their targets. The air quickly became filled with dust, smoke and the frantic cries of the crew members, several of which had taken up arms, grabbing the small stock of rifles they had on the ship in an attempt to fight back and defend themselves in any way they could. But the small pops of the rifles were nothing compared to the disastrous crash of the cannonballs. For every shot fired, the ship sustained fifty times the amount of damage.

“Why are we being attacked?!” Wooyoung cried from across the deck, laying on his stomach and covering his head as splinters of wood came flying his way. “Those bastards!”

The military ship was relentless and continued with round after round of cannon fire, many of the cannonballs making direct hits with their ship. It had barely been a few minutes but time had seemed to slow, prolonging the nightmare that never seemed to stop.

“Hongjoong, we can’t keep taking damage like this!” Yunho yelled.

A cannonball struck the deck in an explosive crash, igniting a small fire and sending debris and splinters everywhere, throwing Yunho halfway across the length of it.

“Yunho!” Yeosang yelled as Yunho lay motionless on the deck, just far enough out of reach with blood slowly dripping down his brow.

Yeosang slowly tried to crawl towards Yunho in an attempt to drag him to safety while other crew members scrambled to try and extinguish the fire before it could spread.

“Hongjoong, you need to let me take care of this.” Seonghwa said as he wriggled free of Hongjoong’s protective grasp.

But Hongjoong was unresponsive and appeared to be paralyzed with fear. His eyes were wide and focused on something off in the distance as the traumatic memories of his past had come flooding back into his mind with a fierce intensity.

“No, please.” He muttered to himself, curling into a small ball. “Please, we don't deserve this…”

“Hongjoong?” Seonghwa tried to catch his attention, giving his shoulders a shake. “Hongjoong!”

Seonghwa knew something was horribly wrong and that it was most likely tied to the traumatic events Hongjoong previously mentioned but he had no idea how to bring Hongjoong back to his senses. The only thing he knew was that he had to fight. 

He stumbled to his feet, dodging the debris littered everywhere and ducking every time another cannon fired. Quickly he made his way to the center of the open deck. 

“Seonghwa what the hell are you doing?!” San cried from above, still trapped up in the crow’s nest.

“I have to protect them!” Seonghwa yelled back, a rawness in his voice.

He knew his powers were only a fraction of what they should have been but he was willing to risk it all for Hongjoong and his crew. He was scared but he knew he was their only hope. As he slowly focused his powers the once clear starlit sky above began to darken as a couple flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. The once gentle sea breeze began to whip around him the more he focused. San quickly ducked down in the crow’s nest and clung tightly to the main mast in an attempt to take cover from whatever Seonghwa was planning.

The seas around them slowly started to become more turbulent but Seonghwa’s energy was already fading fast and he stumbled slightly where he stood.

“Seonghwa don’t!” San cried. “You’re not strong enough!”

Seonghwa gave an angry cry as thunder boomed above them and the waves began to increase in magnitude, roughly crashing against the sides of the ships and quickly causing them to drift apart. 

It was at this point Hongjoong was finally brought back to his senses, having dissociated long enough to completely lose track of what was going on around him. He frantically took in his chaotic surroundings only for his eyes to fall on Seonghwa standing in the center of the deck looking absolutely terrifying as the winds blew around him. Seonghwa made a series of aggressive upwards hand movements as the waves on either side of them increased tenfold with every movement. The military ship had finally stopped firing on them due to how rough the waters had become but he had no idea how long this would delay or if it was even enough to stop them completely. Their own ship was starting to rock dangerously.

Yeosang had used this brief moment between attacks to finally reach Yunho who was still unconscious. Using all of his strength he was able to wrench Yunho free of the debris but he was not strong enough to move him by himself. Hongjoong sprung into action, joining Yeosang and helping him to drag Yunho below deck and to safety. 

Seonghwa could feel his body literally giving out beneath him as he made one final attempt to end things once and for all. With one last terrifying cry, he raised his hands and a massive wave grew between the two ships. As it came crashing down on the military ship their own ship was aggressively shoved away and out of range of the cannon fire. A loud crack echoed through the air as the main mast of the military ship snapped, the sails falling limply into the rough seas around them and stranding them in place.

“Jongho! Get us out of here!” Wooyoung yelled, as he attempted to get back to his feet.

Not being able to sustain himself another minute longer, Seonghwa collapsed to his knees on the deck. San had hurriedly made his way down from the crow’s nest just as Seonghwa crumpled over onto his side.

“Seonghwa!” He cried as he slid across the deck, kneeling beside him.

“I think... I might have gone too far...” Seonghwa said weakly. “I’m sorry…”

In a panic, San whipped his head around trying to find someone, anyone who could help but everyone was scrambling in a desperate attempt to save the ship or get the other injured crew members to safety. Slinging one of his arms around his shoulder and taking a strong hold around his waist, San tried to lift Seonghwa to his feet but Seonghwa was so weak he couldn’t even stand upright and the collapsing weight of his body threw San’s balance off, pulling him back down onto the deck. San struggled to try and drag him across the slick wood but the deck was littered with hazards and San could already feel his muscles beginning to fatigue after only a minute or so.

“Wooyoung!” San called as he spotted him from across the deck. “Help!”

Wooyoung quickly noticed San struggling and ran over to them. He helped hoist up Seonghwa as they hurried to bring him below deck and to his cabin. They laid him down on his bed but Seonghwa’s breathing had become deathly shallow and he was having a difficult time staying conscious, his hand falling limply over the side of the bed.

“Should he be that pale?” Wooyoung asked quietly.

“No, this is bad. He pushed himself way too far.” San replied as he frantically tried to pull off Seonghwa’s boots and remove his outer layers of clothing.

San aggressively ruffled his hair in frustration knowing that the only thing that would truly help Seonghwa was for him to shift but that was obviously not possible given the situation right now. Seonghwa desperately needed some sort of treatment but with all that was going on and the chaotic state of the ship and the crew, San couldn’t just pull Yeosang away from the others as they needed care just as much as he did. He had to figure out what to do on his own.

“The ship’s taking on too much water!” Mingi’s voice yelled from the hall followed but a flurry of footsteps headed to the lower deck.

“Take evasive actions!” Hongjoong could be heard yelling back. “Jongho! Steer us towards the closest sandbar or reef, we’ve got to careen the ship! It’s our only hope!”

“They’re going to careen the ship!?” Wooyoung gasped, rushing to the cabin door and hanging out into the hallway as crew members frantically ran past.

“What does that mean?” San asked in a panic. “I don’t know what that means? Is that bad?!”

“It means they’re going to try and beach the ship, they’re going to run it aground! It has taken on too much water to continue to sail and will otherwise sink if we don’t act fast!”

“Wait, that’s it! The water!” San exclaimed as he realized what had to be done. “Wooyoung, quickly follow me!”

San pushed passed Wooyoung into the hall and headed straight for the lower hold of the ship.

“Where are you going?! ...San!” Wooyoung yelled as he ran after him.

They quickly made their way to the storage hold where a large number of the crew were desperately trying to bail out as much water as they could despite the water already being up to their shins. Mingi was trying whatever he could to temporarily fix the cannonball damage located below the waterline with sailing fabric, wood planks and nails in hopes that it would hold just long enough for them to get to safety but with every cresting wave, another gush of water flooded into the hold.

“Grab as much water as you can.” San quickly instructed as he set out to fill several large buckets with the overflowing sea water.

Wooyoung had no idea what San had planned but he trusted him and blindly followed his instruction. Once they had collected all they could carry, San and Wooyoung hurriedly made their way back to the small cabin with around seven large buckets of water, littering the floor and empty bed with them. San immediately disappeared and returned several seconds later awkwardly dragging a large metal basin that they often used for washing and placed it in the middle of the room. He immediately started emptying the buckets into the basin until it was about half-full on sea water.

“Help me get him in the water.” San instructed as he shuffled over and took a hold under Seonghwa’s shoulders.

Wooyoung gave him a befuddled look.

“Just do it!” San barked at him.

Startled by San’s sudden commanding attitude, Wooyoung quickly took a hold of the lower half of Seonghwa’s body and they carefully hoisted him up and into the cold sea water. Seonghwa didn’t exactly fit in the basin but it was at least big enough that it allowed for the majority of his body to remain submerged while keeping his head above water as his knees awkwardly dangled over the opposite end.

“Don’t shift, please don’t shift, not yet.” San muttered in a panic, placing a balled up shirt behind Seonghwa’s head to keep it off the jagged edge of the basin. “It’s not enough water to shift. Just let it revitalize you a bit.”

“Will this actually help?” Wooyoung said in a concerned tone.

“If the rain was enough to revive him before, I’m sure a bit of sea water can’t hurt.” San explained confidently. “It’s the only option we have right now.”

Seonghwa let out a long groan and shuddered slightly in the water.

“I think it’s working!” San exclaimed as he moved to grab another bucket of water, pouring the contents into the basin and fully drenching Seonghwa.

There was a sudden loud commotion coming from the deck and their attention was momentarily pulled away from the task at hand.

“San! There’s a problem with the rigging! We need your help on deck!” Hongjoong called from the doorway before running off, not even noticing the scene in the cabin in front of him.

“Right!” San answered back, now suddenly torn between his duties and Seonghwa’s condition.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of finishing this and will join you when it’s done.” Wooyoung instructed. “Go!”

San hesitated before giving a quick nod and running out the door.

Wooyoung turned back around and surveyed Seonghwa’s pitiful condition with a sad grimace. Suddenly he was overcome with a massive feeling of guilt. He had been so incredibly harsh to Seonghwa since the day they met. Despite Seonghwa proving his worth time and time again and despite all the kind words San had said in his defence, Wooyoung had continued to not treat him with the kindness and respect he had truly deserved. And now Seonghwa lay in front of him, looking almost inches from death after sacrificing himself yet again. 

Wooyoung gave a bit of a shuddered breath as he picked up and poured another bucket of water into the basin.

“Seonghwa… I hope you can eventually find the strength to forgive me...” He said quietly.

Once all of the buckets had been emptied, as there was nothing else he could do, Wooyoung turned to leave to help the others with the ship. Seonghwa weakly grasped at his shirt sleeve and Wooyoung quickly turned back around to face him.

“San?” Seonghwa rasped out, barely able to open his eyes.

“No, it’s Wooyoung.” He replied calmly, leaning down beside the basin of water, taking Seonghwa’s hand in his and giving it a gentle rub. “San is making sure the ship gets to safety. But don’t worry, we’re going to make sure you’re okay as well. You just need to rest.”

“Please… take care of San.” Seonghwa said in a tone barely above a whisper.

“No, don’t say that. I’ll be right back— _ he’ll _ be right back, okay? Just hold on.” Wooyoung replied as his voice cracked a little. “Once the ship is secure we’ll come back for you, alright?”

Seonghwa just gave a weak hum as he slowly pulled his arm back into the water.

Wooyoung felt horrible leaving him in this state but he knew he had to get back to the others or else they would  _ all _ be in danger.

The crew were extremely lucky. Due to the recent change in course from earlier in the day there were a series of large atolls only a few kilometres or so off the port side of the ship. With everyone’s help they were able to slowly limp their way over to the closest atoll, careening the ship with a heavy lurch on the outer sandbar of the small island. The crew quickly went about securing the ship in place in an attempt to prevent listing and to stabilize it enough so they could begin offloading their cargo prior to starting on emergency repairs.

When San was finally able to make it back to Seonghwa he found him unconscious, head lolled to the side exposing a smattering of black scales that had appeared on his skin along his neck and jawline. Wooyoung had followed close behind but as soon as they re-entered the cabin and he saw Seonghwa’s unusual condition he immediately backed off, merely watching from the door.

“Hey Seonghwa, hey...” He said quietly as he carefully kneeled beside the basin, giving Seonghwa’s cold cheek a light pat. “Seonghwa, it’s Sannie. I’m here now. Please wake up.”

Seonghwa was completely unresponsive.

San reached into the water and quickly undid the top couple of buttons of Seonghwa’s shirt, fishing out the cracked pendant and fumbling with it in his hands. It’s faint glow was pulsating weakly, as if mirroring a shallow heartbeat.

“Seonghwa please.” San whispered again slightly more desperately as he leaned in closer trying to hear any sound of breathing.

San took hold of Seonghwa’s hand which also had a small speckling of scales running down the back and along his wrist. He carefully rubbed the cold hand in his palms and against his cheek in an attempt to warm it back up. 

After a couple frantic minutes he leaned over the basin, gently running Seonghwa’s hand over his hair as Seonghwa would often lazily pet San’s hair if he had snuggled up next to him while they were sleeping. He carefully placed Seonghwa’s hand on the back of his head as he nudged into the touch but as soon as he let go, Seonghwa’s hand just limply fell back into the water with a disheartening splash. Wooyoung’s heart sank at the heartbreaking display in front of him.

“No… no, please.” San whimpered as he shuffled closer.

San gently took Seonghwa’s face in his hands, righting his head and pressing his forehead against Seonghwa’s as tears began streaming down his face.

Wooyoung nervously watched over them, arms crossed and anxiously biting at his fingernails. He had alerted Yeosang to Seonghwa’s quickly deteriorating condition but he had no idea how fast he would actually be able to get there as Yunho was in equally bad shape and deserved every ounce of care as well. He also had no idea if Seonghwa could even be saved at this point.

“Seonghwa please wake up, I’m begging you.” San cried.

San had begun to completely lose control of his emotions, reaching into the water and wrapping his arms around Seonghwa, pulling him into a tight embrace. 

“San...” Wooyoung in a heartbroken tone, fearing for the worst.

Seonghwa’s head hung limply over San’s shoulder with his arm dangling at his side as San pressed his face against Seonghwa’s neck letting out a series of loud sobs. His entire body was shaking as he tightly clung onto Seonghwa. 

“Please don’t leave me.” San wailed. “Please, please, please, you can’t.”

Wooyoung couldn’t watch another minute and had to step into the hall as his own emotions overcame him. He slid down to the floor of the hallway and was completely overwhelmed by how absolutely devastated San was, still being able to hear his cries from outside the room. Wooyoung covered the lower half of his face with his shaking hands as he tried to keep any semblance of himself together, his breathing having become sharp and erratic and his cheeks were already soaked from tears he didn’t realize he had been crying.

All he could do was pray that Yeosang would get there quickly and that there might still be any shred of hope left for Seonghwa.

Inside the cabin, San couldn’t pull himself away from Seonghwa, tightly hugging him while slowly rocking back and forth. 

And that is where he stayed, for what must have been close to half an hour.

It wasn’t until Wooyoung was alerted by a strange glow coming from the room that he quickly scrambled on all fours back inside to check on them.

Seonghwa’s pendant had begun to glow brilliantly but San was so distraught he hadn’t even noticed.

“San! Look!” Wooyoung called as he carefully approached San from behind.

San gave a shake of his head and slowly came back to his senses with a loud sniffle. When he noticed the glowing light his eyes went wide and he quickly lifted his head to take a better look at Seonghwa. The scales on his body were slowly receding. He was still alive!

Suddenly San felt the light touch of fingers grasping at the back of his shirt as Seonghwa slowly raised his arm.

“Seonghwa?!” San gasped, pulling away as he laid Seonghwa back down against the edge of the basin, staring at him intensely in disbelief.

Seonghwa’s eyebrows twitched slightly before he leaned his head back and let out a pained wheeze.

“S...an?” Seonghwa groaned softly.

“I’m here! I’m here.” San replied, eyes still filled with tears as he fumbled to take a hold of Seonghwa’s hand.

Seonghwa lolled his head towards the sound of San’s voice before lazily opening his eyes to look at him.

“Seonghwa.” San said with an emotional smile, tears continuing to stream down his face.

Wooyoung’s knees buckled in relief and he crumpled down on the floor behind San. He leaned heavily against the frame of San’s bed and aggressively rubbed his face with his hands as if this whole ordeal had been a horrible dream and he was trying to wake himself up from it.

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?!” San said as he hastily tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“No... I’m just… so tired.” Seonghwa said weakly as he noticed San’s distraught condition. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that ever again.” San sobbed as he doubled over on the floor to hide his face once more.

“I’m so sorry that I scared you… but the others… are they okay?” Seonghwa asked while lazily looking around, seemingly disoriented by his current location.

“Always thinking about others, I wish you would think about yourself for once!” San angrily lamented, pounding the floor with his fist.

“Yeosang is treating Yunho. He’s hurt pretty bad. But the others are okay… thanks to you.” Wooyoung replied calmly.

“Seonghwa you  _ need _ to shift. Properly. Out in the sea.” San begged, righting himself and giving Seonghwa a pleading look. “I don’t care what I said before about it being too dangerous. It’s now too dangerous  _ not _ to.”

There was a long pause as Seonghwa let out a long hum, stirring slightly in the water.

“It’s only a couple more days... I’ll be fine.” Seonghwa muttered. “Just… a couple more…”

“It’s not fine. And it’ll be a lot longer than a couple days. You need to listen to San.” Wooyoung said assertively from the corner. “The ship sustained a lot of damage. We’re currently stranded until repairs are done.”

Seonghwa lazily rolled his eyes to look over at Wooyoung and squinted slightly as his eyesight came into focus. San had momentarily forgotten Wooyoung was there and that Seonghwa was not aware that he knew about everything. He quickly swiveled his head to look back over his shoulder at Wooyoung before looking back at Seonghwa.

“Shit.” San cursed. “Seonghwa, I have to tell you…”

“That Wooyoung knows... about us?” Seonghwa sighed.

San solemnly nodded as Seonghwa reached up and gave his cheek a gentle rub.

“It was probably for the best.” Seonghwa replied weakly, turning back to Wooyoung. “Thank you for all your help. I apologize for being such a burden.”

“Seonghwa… you’re not a burden.” Wooyoung said in a disheartened tone.

Seonghwa just slowly shook his head as if he didn’t believe Wooyoung.

“Everything I said in the past, I take it all back.” Wooyoung said, finally admitting that his past actions may have been unnecessarily harsh.

“You had every right to be angry.” Seonghwa replied.

“Should I, uh, go see if Yeosang is free now?” Wooyoung asked. “Do you need help? Is there anything he can do?”

“No.” Seonghwa replied curtly as he shifted his hips in the basin and water sloshed over the side. “I just need rest... a lot of rest. And to soak a little while longer. But thank you, both of you.”

Without another word, Seonghwa took a deep breath and slowly slid down until his entire upper body was submerged under the water, several small air bubbles escaping his lips as he did so. He closed his eyes and let the small accumulation of sea water continue to work its healing magic over him.

“Is he going to be okay like that?” Wooyoung asked as he shuffled closer to San.

“Even in our human form we can hold our breath for a really long time.” San explained, sitting back on his knees. “He’ll come up for air in a little while.”

“Should we just… leave him?” Wooyoung said, not exactly knowing what to do in this sort of situation.

“You can go. I’ll stay.” San said as he gently took hold of Seonghwa’s hand.

Wooyoung let out a long sigh and begrudgingly got to his feet, heading back to his cabin in search of Hongjoong. He was quick to find him as Hongjoong was hurriedly grabbing items to shove into a large pack.

“Ah Wooyoung, you’re here.” He said, busy with his packing and barely looking up. “Grab what you need, we’ll be making camp on land tonight until the ship’s repairs are done. I don’t know how bad the ship is going to start to list once the tide goes out. It might not be safe to stay on board.”

There was no response from Wooyoung who just stood in the doorway. Hongjoong picked up on Wooyoung’s silence and stopped what he was doing to turn and look at him with a curious expression. He immediately saw the worn expression on Wooyoung’s face and all the signs that he had evidently been crying.

“Wooyoung what happened?” Hongjoong asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

“It’s not really my place to say, but…” Wooyoung began to say, eyes averting to the floor. “You can’t let Seonghwa use his powers anymore, okay?”

Hongjoong gave his head a tilt. “Why is that? Did he do something to you? Or are you back to being against magic users? Is that why?”

Hongjoong looked as if he was a couple seconds away from launching into a long, angry lecture about tolerance with Wooyoung.

“No, that’s not it at all.” Wooyoung grumbled as he anxiously ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. “It’s just, I can’t stand to see San hurt. I can’t stand to see either of them hurt. Seonghwa, trust me when I say he’s not doing well. I think that stunt he pulled to save the ship really destroyed him. I think… I think we almost lost him.”

“What?!” Hongjoong said, dropping the item he had in his hands. “I need to go see him!”

“No! No don’t.” Wooyoung said, blocking Hongjoong from exiting the room knowing that Hongjoong still didn’t know about San and Seonghwa’s secret. “It’s okay. He appears to have gotten some of his strength back. San’s looking after him now. He just needs to be left alone to rest. I’m going to follow up with Yeosang later.”

Hongjoong looked extremely torn but he eventually backed down and slowly and idly went back to packing.

“Just promise me you won’t allow him to use his powers, Hongjoong.” Wooyoung said again, a strain in his voice.

Hongjoong nodded. “If you say so. The last thing I want is him sacrificing his life for our sake.”

Wooyoung left to go inform Yeosang about what had happened, Hongjoong flopped down on his bed with an exhausted sigh, anxiously twisting the shirt he had in his hands and staring blankly at the floor. After a moment of contemplation he angrily threw the shirt to the ground he let out a small cry in frustration, burying his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe that during all the chaos on deck, not only had he allowed for several of his crew members to get terribly injured but he had let the one person who finally provided him with a feeling of safety nearly lose their life. 

While there was nothing he could have done to have the situation play out any differently, he truly believed that he had failed in his duties as captain to protect his crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter I ended up having to split due to the length going wildly out of control. [stares into the void]  
> But on the bright side this means that I can throw in a soft scene back into the next chapter that I had originally cut.


	13. Chapter 13

It took several grueling hours but the crew carefully unloaded as much as they could from the ship to the best of their ability and set up a temporary camp on the sandy beach of the atoll. Most of the ship’s contents were haphazardly laid out on the sand in an attempt to prevent further damage to what small amount of cargo they had left. Bonfires were scattered along the shore as crew members scrambled to set up tents and other makeshift structures while others had been far too exhausted and had simply taken their packs and fallen asleep directly on the warm sand under the stars.

When the sun finally rose, the extent of what had happened the night before was finally revealed in the daylight. The ship stood looming over the beach, three giant holes had been ripped in the upper starboard side and one in the lower hull. Large portions of the deck were shattered and broken from the cannon fire and the mainsail had been riddled with holes. Luckily the majority of the damage was above the waterline save for the one spot that had caused them the biggest issue. The ship was in rough shape but it was still salvageable.

The same applied to the crew. 

While many crew members had experienced small scrapes, burns and bruises, they had remained safe for the most part. Yeosang had moved the majority of his infirmary stocks to the beach and was treating everyone as quickly as he could. Seonghwa and Yunho had suffered the most from the attack. After a couple hours Seonghwa had finally started to regain his strength and was sleeping things off in a small tent on the beach. Yunho was not quite as lucky. He had sustained a broken wrist, bruised ribs, as well as several large cuts that had required stitches. But after regaining consciousness, somehow Yunho still managed to stay in bright spirits throughout the entire ordeal, even feeling bad that he wouldn’t be able to help with the ship repairs.

The sun was barely above the horizon when San made his way across the white sand beach towards the dark and ominous outline of the ship, a small bag of supplies strapped securely across his back. The tide was out, leaving the entire front of the ship exposed out of the water and made the dramage much more evident. The ship had also begun to list slightly towards the port side despite the makeshift supports that had been hastily installed the night before. Surveying the ship and the damage while walking back and forth in front of the hull several times, San cautiously made his way towards the gaping cannonball hole in front of him. It was just large enough that he was able to squeeze through and enter the flooded lower hold of the ship.

Carefully he made his way through the hold. The water had flooded up to his knees which would have made it difficult to navigate for the average person as the ship floor was littered in debris and damaged cargo. However it was as if a sixth sense had kicked in as soon as he came in contact with the water and San was able to quickly navigate his way through the mess to the stairs that led up to the lower deck without a single hindrance.

Climbing up on deck, San was not expecting to see such destruction in the aftermath of the attack as the majority had been hidden in the darkness the night before. It quickly became overwhelming when he realized that the brown stains spattered across the wooden planks were most likely caused by the blood of the other crew members, his friends. He pressed himself up against the back wall of the deck, having to take a moment to calm himself down again. Luckily nobody had been killed but it just wasn’t something San was used to seeing.

Eventually he calmed himself down enough to continue on his mission. Having to be a bit more cautious making his way across the deck, he came upon the main mast of the ship and immediately began to climb. The list of the ship made the climb slightly more precarious than usual but it was nothing San couldn’t handle and he had arrived safely in the crow’s nest in no time at all.

Carefully removing the small bag from his back, he pulled out a large telescope that he had borrowed from Jongho. It took him a couple minutes to get used to how the telescope worked and how to focus on items on the horizon but once he got the hang of it he took to surveying the landscape of the atoll that they were currently stranded on.

The atoll appeared to be one in a series as several more islands were scattered off in the distance. This particular atoll looked to be one of the biggest with a large rock outcropping to one side, most likely the remains of a dormant volcano and a lush jungle covering the majority of it. When his eyes fell upon what was located in the center of the atoll San’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

There, past all the lush vegetation was a large lagoon. Somewhere he and Seonghwa would be able to shift. Tightly gripping onto the railing of the crow’s nest, he dropped to his feet, almost vibrating with excitement. All he had to do was to figure out how to access it later that night and then maybe Seonghwa would finally be able to get his full strength back.

He effortlessly climbed back down the mast and snuck back out of the ship, only walking a few paces before he casually tossed his bag aside and flopped down onto the warm sand on his back, arms spread wide and happily laughing to himself. He would finally be able to give Seonghwa some good news.

It wasn’t long before San was startled by a dark shadow looming over him. He shielded his eyes with his hand from the glaring sun as he tried to make out the silhouette.

“San what the hell are you doing out here?” Wooyoung asked.

“Just resting.” San mumbled as he gave a bit of an exaggerated stretch and slowly sat up, taking a fist full of warm sand and letting it fall through his fingers.

“Well, it’s time to get up. There’s lots we need to get done.” Wooyoung said with a sigh as he extended a hand down to San to help pull him up.

“Right.” San chirped as he quickly got to his feet.

Mingi gathered as many crew members as he could and they all began the tireless work to try and salvage what they could from the ship, scavenging for whatever wood and supplies they could find on the island to help make repairs until they could get to a proper port city.

While the others got to work on the ship, Hongjoong went to check on the remaining members of the crew.

Hongjoong quietly entered the large tent Yeosang was using as an infirmary. A couple crew members lay on cots, resting after sustaining sprains or burns or just recovering from the exhaustion of the night before. As he made his way to the back of the tent he spotted Yunho. His head was wrapped in a bloody bandage, his right wrist was snugly wrapped in a splint, and his torso was covered in dozens of bruises, scrapes and burns that were being treated with a variety of salves that Yeosang had prepared. 

Hongjoong quickly looked around for any sign of Yeosang. It wasn’t long before he found him slumped over a pile of anatomy books, dozens of ingredients scattered on the sand around him. Hongjoong quietly approached him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. Yeosang sat up in a fluster at Hongjoong’s touch, groggily rubbing the part of his face that wasn’t covered by his eye patch as his eyesight came into focus.

“Hongjoong?” Yeosang mumbled in a tired voice.

“I just came to see how things were.” Hongjoong said, squatting down on the sand in front of him. “Have you been getting much rest?”

Hongjoong looked at everything that was scattered around Yeosang, idly picking up one of the smaller books near him to leaf through.

“Oh, uh, about this mess, I just momentarily closed my eyes—”

“Yeosang, have you been getting  _ any _ rest?” Hongjoong repeated more assertively.

“Not really, no.” Yeosang said with a sigh. “I’ve been trying to treat everyone as quickly as possible… there’s just so much to do and I—”

Hongjoong quickly cut him off. “While I appreciate your hard work, you need to get some proper sleep or else you’re going to burn out. Let me help. Just give me a quick rundown of everything and I will look after everyone while you rest, okay?”

Yeosang hesitated as he mulled over Hongjoong’s offer.

“Ah, thank you.” Yeosang reluctantly sighed.

He slowly picked himself off the ground making a loud groaning sound as he stretched out his back before immediately launching into a long-winded set of instructions. Hongjoong frantically took notes as Yeosang carefully went over everyone that he was currently looking after, all their injuries, all the treatments, what needed to be checked when and what remedies and elixirs needed to be distributed in what frequencies.

“Hey by any chance have you been able to check on Seonghwa?” Hongjoong interjected.

“No, why?” Yeosang replied. “I mean, Wooyoung had come to me in a panic last night but he said everything was fine a little while later.”

“Oh, I was just wondering about his condition. I was told he was in rough shape.” Hongjoong replied.

“Well if you feel like paying him a visit, make sure he takes some of the elixir I had you prepare for him previously. It’ll probably help with whatever he is dealing with. And tell him absolutely no more magic use!” Yeosang explained tiredly.

Hongjoong nodded and took the large medical notebook from Yeosang before ushering him over to a vacant cot to get some rest. Yeosang lazily flopped down on the cot and passed out from exhaustion within seconds. 

Hongjoong went about his rounds, checking and treating everyone in the tent. Many were a little apprehensive of him at first since they were so used to Yeosang, but they quickly welcomed his steady hands even if his medical knowledge was fairly green in comparison..

Finally Hongjoong came upon Yunho who had awoken from the chatter in the tent and greeted him warmly.

“Should I start referring to you as Nurse instead of Captain?” Yunho joked.

Hongjoong just gave a playful huff and rolled his eyes as he got to work changing Yunho’s bandages.

Once Hongjoong was done he quickly made up a couple of the elixirs Yeosang had given him instructions for and headed off with them to go find Seonghwa.

When he entered the small tent he found Seonghwa fast asleep. He carefully placed the elixirs by Seonghwa’s cot and crouched down in front of him, just looking over him as he slept. Hongjoong gently brushed aside his hair and placed a hand on Seonghwa’s forehead to check for a fever. He let out a small sigh in relief at the cool touch of his skin.

“I really wish you would stop sacrificing yourself for me… for us…” Hongjoong said in a whisper as he slowly got back to his feet.

Seonghwa stirred slightly as Hongjoong departed but otherwise remained deep asleep until much later in the evening. When he finally emerged from the tent—after downing the elixirs Hongjoong had left for him—he tiredly made his way over to the large bonfire the crew were gathered around, eating and drinking merrily.

The beach had been bustling with activity throughout the day, some working on removing damaged wood from the ship, some starting on repairs, others working on patching the sails, but everyone was grateful for what Seonghwa had done to save them. When he approached the bonfire they all gave him a king’s welcome, even giving him double the amount of food rations since he had otherwise not had a chance to eat. 

“I have to apologize—” Seonghwa began to say.

“No more apologies out of you, just shut up and eat.” Yeosang said with a laugh. “You deserve as much rest as you want. You’re the only reason any of us are alive right now.”

Seonghwa was completely thrown off by Yeosang’s curt remark but Hongjoong quickly clung onto his arm, pulling him down beside him on the large log he was sitting on and passing him a large drumstick from some animal the crew had managed to catch and roast.

“He’s right.” Hongjoong said, giving Seonghwa a playful nudge with his elbow. “Sure the situation with the ship isn’t ideal but it could have been a lot worse.  _ You _ saved us. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“You always know the right things to say?” Seonghwa replied lightly as he parroted Hongjoong’s own words back to him before timidly biting into the large chunk of meat in his hands.

Hongjoong cracked a sly smirk while giving him a playful shove. For the rest of the night he clung tightly to Seonghwa, never once letting him out of his sight.

Some of the other crew members who had finished eating had begun to roughhouse on the beach, chasing each other across the sand. At one point Jongho had caught hold of San, sweeping him up off his feet with a startled squeak and throwing him over his shoulder. Jongho ran straight towards the sea as San playfully cried out in protest. Moments later a loud splash was heard as San went crashing into the waves, Mingi rushing in the water after him as the three of them began splashing and dunking each other in the cool waters.

Seonghwa couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as he fondly watched the others play.

“Want to join them?” Hongjoong laughed.

“No, I think I’ll pass.” Seonghwa replied with a laugh as he reached for another helping of food.

Wooyoung’s shrill voice could soon be heard over the others as he tackled Jongho into the surf, avenging San as the others burst into another fit of laughter.

***

Once everyone else had turned in for the night, San snuck out to continue on his mission to find the lagoon he had spotted earlier that morning. He was determined to find it as not only did Seonghwa desperately need it, but it was coming up on the full moon so he figured it would be an optimal time for the crystals to recharge. 

After around twenty minutes of hiking, he finally broke through the thick vegetation and there it lay before him: the massive lagoon. It was more than he could have ever imagined and must have been nearly an entire square kilometre in size. It was perfect! Far enough away from the beaches that the other crew members were unlikely to stumble upon it but large enough that they would be able to easily shift and have a nice swim as well. 

San quickly surveyed the surrounding area. The closest shoreline was made up of a mixture of fine sand and black volcanic rock. A small mountain was located on the far end of the lagoon and the dense jungles separated the lagoon from the rest of the atoll on all sides. San couched down at the water’s edge and swirled his fingers in the warm waters. He cautiously brought his fingers up to his lips. It tasted salty. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was actually a saltwater lagoon and must have been fed from the sea somewhere. It was literally everything he could have asked for. 

He knew he had to get back and relay the news to Seonghwa as soon as possible and if he was fast enough they would still have time to shift that night. The sooner he could get Seonghwa to shift, the sooner Seonghwa could get back to normal again. San ran back through the jungles at a frantic sprint, leaping over fallen logs and ducking under low-hanging branches as he went. When he made it back to the beach he tumbled onto the sand, having lost his footing on the loose ground but that didn’t slow him for long as he scrambled back to his feet and hurriedly made his way to the camp.

Seonghwa was resting on his small cot with his arms laying over his eyes when San came bursting back into the tent. Having been given quite the startle, Seonghwa sat bolt upright as San fell onto his hands and knees in front of him, attempting to catch his breath, his chest heaving.

“San, what happened?!” Seonghwa gasped, swinging his legs over the side of the cot.

“Seonghwa!” San gasped, completely out of breath. “You can shift!”

Seonghwa gave him a curious look. “What?”

San pointed over his back. “Middle of the island. There’s a lagoon. Saltwater lagoon. It’s huge and secluded.”

Seonghwa’s heart leapt in his chest at this news. If he could shift, not only would it give him the strength to make it to the Northern Islands but maybe it would even be enough to allow him to use his powers once more. Seonghwa got up as quickly as he could, frantically grabbing a few items before following San out of the tent and onto the beach. He had only taken a few steps when a wave of dizziness momentarily delayed him but he brushed off the feeling and closely followed San towards the jungle.

When Seonghwa finally reached the shore of the lagoon and laid eyes upon the sparkling clear waters he gave a cry of relief, pulling San in tightly for a crushing hug.

“Thank you.” He breathed ecstatically as San eagerly squirmed against him.

Slowly Seonghwa let San go and just stared out over the water. “Let’s go for a nice long swim, shall we?”

San cracked a wide smile and gave a small nod before sprinting towards the water’s edge, hastily removing his clothes as he did so and throwing them haphazardly along the shore. He went crashing into the water and immediately dove beneath the surface. Within several seconds he had completely shifted and resurfaced. Seonghwa gave a small huff in disbelief at how quickly San was able to shift, it was like it was now second nature for him to just switch between forms without any sort of hassle.

“Seonghwa hurry up!” He called. “The water feels amazing!”

With an exaggerated flick of his tail fin, San disappeared below the surface once more. Seonghwa was much slower in his approach as he picked up San’s loose clothing. He carefully folded them as he went, placing them safely atop a rock away from the water’s edge before removing his own clothes and slowly wading into the clear waters.

San was right. The warm sea water felt absolutely amazing against his skin and it was like every fibre of his body was suddenly tingling in anticipation. The water was barely up to his waist when he dunked himself below the surface and let the shift take hold of him. It took a couple minutes before the shift was complete and was much more uncomfortable than he had remembered it being but he merely attributed it to the fact that he had been starving this body for far too long.

His merman body had never felt so foreign to him as it did in those first few minutes after he shifted but he couldn’t deny that he immediately felt a rush of energy when in this form. He exaggeratedly gave every muscle in his body a stretch as if he had just woken up from a long hibernation and began swimming in lazy circles as he worked out all the kinks.

He couldn’t believe how good he felt, finally free of the pain and exhaustion of his human body. It wasn’t long before San swam back up to him, having come back from surveying the lagoon waters. Seonghwa was ready to have a nice carefree night when he noticed San’s expression quickly melt from happy to concerned when he looked over Seonghwa.

_ San, what’s wrong? _

_ Seonghwa… your scales... _

Seonghwa furrowed his brows slightly and looked down to where San’s line of sight ended. There, towards the end of his tail fin were a small cluster of dull grey scales starkly contrasted against his normal black colouring. A few inches above that a couple others were scattered amongst his scales, there were maybe eight or nine gray scales in total.

Seonghwa’s heart sank as dozens of intrusive thoughts flooded his mind. Pulling his tail fin up in front of him to inspect it, he carefully ran his fingers over the discoloured scales. He was not hiding his devastated expression well.

San had become very concerned and was looking over him intently as if he were trying to sort through the flurry of things Seonghwa was thinking. One thought in particular finally stuck with him, stopping his heart momentarily as his eyes went wide in fear.

_ You’re dying. _

San’s thought loudly rang in Seonghwa’s mind. Seonghwa immediately pulled his focus away from his scales and looked up at San who was evidently distraught. He quickly tried to calm his own thoughts so that San couldn’t hear any more and become even more worried.

_ No, this is just an early warning sign. _

San silently floated in front of him with a look of disdain as if he didn’t believe what Seonghwa was telling him, having heard his contradictory thoughts only moments before.

_ It just means I have to be a bit more careful. A couple scales won’t hurt me. You do not need to worry… at least not just yet. _

San didn’t seem swayed by what Seonghwa was trying to tell him.

_ Please don’t dwell on this…  _ Seonghwa’s thoughts pleaded.  _ Let us just enjoy our time together alright? This is only a temporary condition. Everything will be okay again soon enough. _

San reluctantly gave a nod and swam off to further explore the lagoon as he tried to get the negative thoughts out of his mind.

The lagoon was deceptively deep in some spots and contained various aquatic vegetation neither of them were quite familiar with. San was quite intrigued by some long seaweed that grew up from the bottom of the lagoon in a large patch. After swimming a few inquisitive circles around the growth, he dove headfirst between the stalks, gleefully weaving his way between the plants as the long leafy tendrils tickled his stomach and tail fin. 

His joy and excitement soon turned into mild concern when one of the long stalks had become wrapped around his tail fin, snagging him in place.

_ Seonghwa! Help! _ San’s thoughts cried out as he struggled to free himself.

Unfortunately the more he struggled, the more entangled he became, soon barely being able to move at all as another stalk had tightly wrapped itself around one of San’s wrists. He tried gnawing at it with his sharp fangs as his body squirmed in the water but it was just too tough for him to bite through.

_ Seonghwa! _

San’s panic was mounting as he desperately tried to pull himself free. He wasn’t sure if he was actually entangling himself or if the plants themselves were becoming tighter in an attempt to trap him. No, it was definitely the plants as one of the strands of seaweed tried to wrap itself around San’s free wrist.

_ Arrgh get away! _ San thought as he aggressively swatted and snapped at the plants.

San’s prayers were soon answered when out of the depths, Seonghwa appeared, brandishing a small knife that he had retrieved from the surface. He made no hesitation in cutting away the seaweed to free San, quickly pulling him away from the patch and into his arms.

_ Thank you. _

San clung onto Seonghwa in relief, happily wrapping his tail fin around Seonghwa’s.

_ Maybe it would be best to stay out of the vegetation, lest you want to become a meal, okay? _

San gave a small pout at Seonghwa’s words as Seonghwa playfully ruffled his hair. __

Slowly pulling away from San, Seonghwa lazily floated down to the bare bottom of the lagoon, stretching out and lounging on the sandy floor. San was quick to swim down and join him, draping himself over Seonghwa’s body and gently resting his head on his chest. 

They finally began to let their bodies and their crystals properly recharge as the near full moon shone brightly through the clear waters above them.

***

After shifting back to his human form, Seonghwa slowly waded back to the land. San was eagerly waiting on the shore of the lagoon for him, having already shifted and redressed himself. He seemed relieved when he saw Seonghwa emerge from the water and quickly rose to his feet. That relief slowly turned back to concern as he noticed just how slowly and deliberately Seonghwa was moving.

Every few steps Seonghwa’s body gave a slight twinge of pain and he knew that despite how cautious he had been and how slowly he had eased into the shift, his body was still having a hard time healing itself. He stumbled slightly having misstepped on a slippery rock.

“Seonghwa?” San asked in a concerned tone, as he approached the edge of the water.

Seonghwa stopped in his tracks and quickly raised a hand to stop him from coming any further.

“It’s alright. Things are just a little sore.” Seonghwa said, holding onto his stomach as he regained his composure. “No need to worry, this will pass shortly.”

Seonghwa was right to an extent and he was able to exit the lagoon and get mostly dressed before the pain returned. This time it came on much stronger as the small amount of adrenaline from the shift had begun to wear off. 

Slowly he lowered himself into a kneeling position on the sandy shore, both hands tightly wrapped around his midsection in an attempt to stave off the pain. Gritting his teeth, the pain began to ramp up in agonizing pulses. He ended up doubled over so much that his forehead was nearly touching the sand in front of him.

San knew to say nothing as it would only further agitate Seonghwa. He just quietly knelt beside him, gently rubbing his back as he tried to provide any sort of comfort. Seonghwa’s entire body gave a violent shudder and he launched into a painful bout of coughing, speckling the sand with blood. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth with a bit of a pained whimper, spatterings of blood slowly seeping between his fingers with every cough. 

The coughing and painful spasms continued for quite some time but San refused to leave his side. When he finally calmed down, his breathing was sharp and shallow, the pain inside of him slowly subsiding and the worst of it was finally over.

It was close to half an hour before Seonghwa was stable again and he aggressively wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. San took a handkerchief out of his pocket and carefully wet it in the water from the lagoon, passing it to Seonghwa so he could better clean himself up.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said with a bit of a sigh as he took the handkerchief and wiped his face and hands down.

Slowly righting himself, he began buttoning up his shirt once more. Before he tucked his pendant away he took a close look at it. While it was no longer dull and grey, it still was not the healthy purple it should be.

“I’ll have to come back and shift again tomorrow.” He said in a sad tone, quickly tossing the pendant under the collar of his shirt.

He turned to face San who had been uncharacteristically silent the entire time. San was just kneeling on the sand beside him, head hung low and hands shaking as they balled the fabric of his pants.

“Sannie…” Seonghwa said in a voice barely above a whisper as he reached over, tucking a stray strand of damp hair behind San’s ear.

When San looked up at him his eyes were filled with tears to the point of nearly overflowing.

“Oh Sannie, come here.” Seonghwa said, pulling San in close and embracing him in a tight hug.

“We are so close.” Seonghwa whispered in his ear. “Things will be okay. I swear.”

“I’m so scared, Seonghwa. I really am.” San cried as he buried his face against the fabric covering Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“I know you are, I am too.” Seonghwa replied as he began tearing up a little as well.

He let San cry for a couple minutes, softly petting over his hair to help calm him down before carefully pulling away. San’s face had become red and puffy as he snuffled loudly. Seonghwa gently ran his thumbs across San’s cheeks to wipe away the tears.

“We will be reaching the Northern Islands soon. When I’m able to find the sea witch that gave me the pedants, they will be able to fix everything.” Seonghwa quietly explained. “We just need to be strong until then. Only a few more days, okay?”

San nodded, face contorting into an ugly pout as he tried to keep himself from crying again. Seonghwa leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead before shakily getting to his feet to make the journey back to the camp.

It took twice as long to make their way back as Seonghwa had to travel at a much slower pace but San stayed glued to his side the entire time to help him walk. When they finally made it back to their tent, Seonghwa passed out almost as soon as his body touched the fabric of the cot. And that is where he remained, sleeping away the majority of the day. San barely got any sleep himself as he kept watch, curled up on his own cot until Wooyoung came to fetch him in the early hours of the morning to help Mingi with the ship repairs.

***

Ship repairs were going surprisingly well and were already well ahead of schedule based on Mingi’s original estimates. With the ship careened on the sandbar just offshore, they were able to complete much of the work while the tide was out and as it slowly crept back in San proved to be a valuable asset as his breath-holding abilities—nearly seventeen minutes—were unparalleled by any of the other crew members.

“Damn San, it’s like you’re not even human.” Mingi said with a laugh and he wiped the sweat from his own brow with the back of his wrist after San had resurfaced for the fourth or fifth time.

Wooyoung who had been looking over the repair plans nearby quickly jerked his head up at Mingi’s words, giving a warning look at San.

“It’s nothing, really.” San replied casually as he pulled a bag of tools out of the water behind him. “I used to free dive a lot.”

“You’re just full of surprises aren’t you.” Mingi scoffed.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” San beamed.

Wooyoung's eyes were cautiously flicking between the two of them as Mingi helped San out of the water, taking the tools from him and calling it for the day. He was so focused on San and Mingi that he didn’t even hear Hongjoong approach from behind, giving a slight jump when he suddenly caught sight of him looking over the plans beside him.

“God, don’t scare me like that!” Wooyoung yelled.

Hongjoong just gave Wooyoung a perplexed expression, having been equally startled by Wooyoung’s reaction.

“You seem a little on edge, maybe it’s time to take a bit of a rest, eh?” Hongjoong said, giving Wooyoung a pat on the shoulder as Wooyoung’s face burned bright red in embarrassment.

Wooyoung grumbled as he rolled up the plans and turned to head back to camp while Hongjoong headed over to the others.

“San, have you seen Seonghwa today? Is he still resting?” He asked as it was nearly dusk and once again nobody had seen him all day.

“He didn’t sleep well last night so he’s been sleeping most of the day.” San replied casually.

Hongjoong felt like he could relate to Seonghwa’s condition as there had been times in the past where his night terrors had caused his sleep to be so restless he could barely drag himself from his own bed. After grabbing some more elixir from Yeosang, he made his way across the beach to the small tent that San and Seonghwa had been sharing. Cautiously pulling back the flap of the tent he peered inside.

“Seonghwa? Are you awake? It’s Hongjoong.” Hongjoong said in a low whisper.

Seonghwa just let out a low, disgruntled moan and Hongjoong carefully made his way inside the tent. Seonghwa lay face down on his small cot with his arm limpy dangling to the side, fingers touching the sand of the beach. It was a somewhat comical look for him despite his current state of health and Hongjoong couldn’t help but let out a small huff.

Hongjoong made his way over to the cot and knelt down beside it as Seonghwa lazily turned his head to face him.

“Good morning.” Hongjoong said cheerfully in a quiet voice.

“Mmmwhat time is it?” Seonghwa asked as he shakily tried to push himself up out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Hongjoong quickly hovered his hands over Seonghwa as he tried to sit up but Seonghwa instead just rolled onto his back with a sigh.

“Don’t strain yourself, take it easy.” Hongjoong said with a laugh as Seonghwa slumped back down. “It’s almost dusk, I came to find you since I hadn’t seen you all day.”

Seonghwa let out another long groan, disappointed in himself for sleeping away the day again.

“Hey, have you had anything to eat or drink since last night?” Hongjoong asked. “You need to keep your strength up.”

“Hmm no.” Seonghwa hummed.

Hongjoong got to his feet and grabbed a canteen that was sitting not too far away, checking the contents and shuffling back over to Seonghwa.

“Here, drink.” Hongjoong said as he raised the canteen to Seonghwa’s lips, carefully tipping it towards him.

Seonghwa gladly accepted the cool water as he was fairly dehydrated from sleeping in the hot tent all day. Slowly he placed his hand on the canteen over Hongjoong’s and guzzled down the rest of the water, dribbling much of it down his chin.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said breathily as he lowered the canteen and wiped his chin with the back of his hand.

“I know San’s busy helping with the ship repairs so I’ll be back in a little while when food is ready, okay?” Hongjoong said as he slowly got to his feet. “I’ve brought you some more of Yeosang’s elixir as well so make sure to take that when you’re up to it, alright?”

Seonghwa just hummed in agreement.

“And remember, absolutely no magic use, okay?” Hongjoong said in a playful yet strict tone. “That’s a direct order now, understood?”

“Understood.” Seonghwa replied dejectedly before Hongjoong leaned down and placed a soft kiss above his cheekbone.

Hongjoong was quick to leave as Seonghwa gently reached up to touch the spot on his cheek where Hongjoong’s lips had touched, smiling fondly to himself.

***

That night Seonghwa and San headed back to the lagoon as soon as everyone in the camp had turned in for the night. Hongjoong had been checking on the fires and thought it odd they were heading out into the jungle so late. At first he didn’t question it and went back to stoking the flames but his curiosity — and concern over Seonghwa’s condition — got the better of him and he decided to follow them at a distance to keep a watchful eye. 

They definitely did not make it easy for him to follow. Hongjoong made sure to stay back as much as he could but kept losing them within the thick foliage every few minutes. He would only find them again when he noticed some trampled underbrush or heard the loud snap of a twig off in the distance. It got to a point where he couldn’t find their trail at all and he ended up horribly lost for quite awhile before he finally caught a glimpse of the light from the full moon above him shining through the thinning trees around the lagoon.

By the time he actually got to the lagoon he could find absolutely no trace of either San or Seonghwa except for a heap of garments left on the shore by the water. Hongjoong scanned the area but couldn’t see them anywhere on land or in the water and found it quite strange that they just seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Hongjoong cautiously walked over to where the clothes lay. As he crept closer he noticed that the garments were unmistakably Seonghwa's. He bent down to pick them up and looked at his surroundings in confusion.

“Seonghwa?” Hongjoong said quietly, quickly scanning the jungle around him. “Where the hell could he have gone?”

At that moment, the surface of the lagoon in front of him gave a small rippled and Seonghwa emerged in his merman form only several metres away. His back was to Hongjoong as he slicked his wet hair back, casually bobbing in the water completely oblivious to Hongjoong watching from the shore. Hongjoong went to call out to him but quickly stopped himself when he noticed Seonghwa's hands and arms were covered in a speckling of sleek black scales, his expression quickly changing. 

Seonghwa lazily stretched his arms above his head and laid back in the water, calmly floating on his back and happily taking in the moon’s rays as he gently swished his large tail fin back and forth.

“Seonghwa...” Hongjoong gasped, dropping the clothes at his feet.

Seonghwa's eyes went wide in panic at the sound of Hongjoong’s voice, all of the colour draining from his face as he whipped around to see him standing at the edge of the lagoon.

Their gaze met and Seonghwa froze.

Hongjoong’s eyes trailed over Seonghwa, taking in the abundance of scales covering his shoulders and the gill-like flaps that had formed on either side of his neck.

“You're... a merman?” Hongjoong said in disbelief.

In a panic, Seonghwa turned tail and immediately disappeared under the surface with a loud splash. 

“Wait, wait, wait come back!” Hongjoong could be heard shouting from the surface.

Every fiber of Seonghwa’s being was screaming in a guilting panic at how careless he had been allowing himself to be seen so easily. He knew his first priority had to be finding San to warn him that they were not alone.

_ San? San! _ His thoughts rang out as he frantically searched the depths of the lagoon.

San was quick to swim over to him and was quite concerned by Seonghwa’s frantic state.

_ What is it? What’s wrong? Did something happen? _

_ It’s Hongjoong. He’s here. _

San furrowed his eyebrows and seemed thrown off guard at what Seonghwa was telling him. 

_ Are you sure? _

Seonghwa nodded as he covered his face with his hands, curling his tail fin under him and allowing him to slowly float down deeper into the lagoon until he came to a rest on the sandy bottom. San followed closely, swimming in circles around him.

_ Then we just need to stay submerged until he decides to leave. It’ll be okay. _

_ No, you don’t understand. He saw me! _

Seonghwa dug his clawed nails into the sandy bed of the lagoon as his anxiety mounted. Ducking his head in shame as he gritted his teeth.

_ What?! _

_ He saw me! Like this! He called my name. I panicked. _

San now fully understood Seonghwa’s unusual state and quickly tried to calm him down. He reasoned that it was probably best that Hongjoong find out sooner rather than later and that he should just confront him. Seonghwa seemed extremely reluctant to follow San’s advice. Sure, Yeosang and Wooyoung had been accepting of them but he had come to care so deeply for Hongjoong that he was terrified he was about to lose everything he had worked so hard for.

On the surface Hongjoong had scrambled across the rocks along the edge of the lagoon on all fours in an attempt to get as close to the water as he could. Peering over the edge, he looked into the lagoon but despite the clear waters, he couldn’t find any trace of Seonghwa.

“Seonghwa?” Hongjoong called, his voice cracked nervously as he tried to convey a reassuring tone.

There was no response.

“It's only me. There are no others. You do not need to hide from me.” He begged, desperately trying to entice Seonghwa to resurface again.

_ Seonghwa please let me see you. _

Seonghwa’s head immediately perked up at the sound of Hongjoong’s voice and he felt suddenly compelled to go to him.

_ Did you hear that?  _ Seonghwa turned to look at San, his eyes wide in surprise.

San just gave him a confused look as he hadn’t heard anything.

_ It’s Hongjoong… I could hear him… But how... _

Seonghwa slowly picked himself up off the lagoon floor and curiously swam a couple feet closer to the surface.

_ I think your cracked pendant has caused you to finally lose your mind. _ San’s thoughts scoffed.

Seonghwa continued to cautiously swim up to the surface towards the sound of Hongjoong’s voice. Slowly he emerged from the water so that only his head was visible, spotting Hongjoong sitting on the nearby rocks. As soon as Hongjoong’s gaze met his, his heart began to race once more and it took every bit of energy not to immediately plunge below the surface and out of sight. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Seonghwa apprehensively inched his way closer but still kept a large distance between them.

“Seonghwa.” Hongjoong breathed with a kind smile.

Why was Hongjoong smiling at him? Merfolk were always portrayed as such dangerous creatures, he should be scared of him and yet he wasn’t, not even in the slightest.

“Come closer, let me see you!” Hongjoong said in a small, yet excited voice as he beckoned him with his hand.

Seonghwa swam a couple feet closer until he had reached the edge of the rocks and slowly raised himself out of the water until his shoulders were visible.

“You were never supposed to see me like this.” He said in a quiet voice, refusing to make eye contact again.

“Your scales...” Hongjoong said quietly.

“What? What's wrong with them?!” Seonghwa said in a slight panic as he quickly turned over his hands as if he were expecting to see more gray scales despite knowing full well that Hongjoong wouldn’t know anything about them.

“Nothing’s wrong. The colouring, it really suits you. I think they are beautiful.” Hongjoong said endearingly, sitting cross-legged on the rock as he casually rested his chin on his hand.

Seonghwa quickly became flustered as his face burned bright red. He timidly sunk back down in the water until it was up to his nose.

“Don't be shy.” Hongjoong said with a laugh. “Come here and let me get a good look at you.”

Seonghwa didn’t know why he felt obligated to show him but he cautiously swam around the edge of the rocks to where they intersected with the sandy shoreline of the lagoon. He carefully hoisted himself out of the water and onto the sand, curling his large black tail fin underneath him as he sat several feet away from Hongjoong. Hongjoong moved to shuffle closer and Seonghwa gave an involuntary flinch back towards the water.

“Got it, got it, keeping my distance.” Hongjoong said quickly as he sat back down again, raising his hands as if to show he meant no harm.

Seonghwa’s anxieties quickly began to mount again the longer Hongjoong remained silent. What Seonghwa failed to notice, as his eyes were solely focused on a couple scales he was anxiously fiddling with, was Hongjoong’s smile growing wider and more fond the more he looked over Seonghwa. 

Hongjoong was amazed that Seonghwa had actually been a merman this entire time and now here he was, in his true form sitting before him in all his glory.

“I can’t believe this!” He finally spoke. “This is incredible.  _ You’re _ incredible.”

Seonghwa looked up at him with a perplexed expression, eyebrows tightly knit together.

“This explains so much!” Hongjoong continued. “I had always heard stories about merfolk being able to control the seas and now here you are, a merman  _ and _ a full tempestarii! Truly amazing.”

Hongjoong ran his hands through his messy hair as he sat back in disbelief. Seonghwa’s mouth hung slightly agape at Hongjoong’s overly positive reaction.

“Is this even happening right now?” Seonghwa muttered to himself. “How are you taking this so well? How are you not scared of me? Or at least not apprehensive of me?”

Hongjoong looked slightly taken aback by Seonghwa’s words as he sat forward again.

“Why would I suddenly treat you any differently?” Hongjoong replied with a pang of betrayal in his voice. “Unless you become someone completely different while in this form, you’re still the Seonghwa I’ve known for the past two months… aren’t you?”

“I—yes, I’m still the same person.” Seonghwa replied quietly.

Hongjoong gave Seonghwa a reassuring look as he motioned to move closer. 

_ I just wish he would trust me. _

“I trust you.” Seonghwa gave a small nod as Hongjoong looked at him with a bit of surprise as if his mind had just been read.

Hongjoong cautiously moved down to the rocks, down onto the beach to be closer to Seonghwa. The closer he got, the larger his eyes became out of sheer curiosity.

“I just have one question… how are you, how is all this…?” Hongjoong began to say, not exactly knowing how or what to ask.

Seonghwa carefully recounted how he had been granted the crystals which allowed him to live on land, about his run-in with an unknown human that had led to his exile, and about the loss of his memories. He explained how his pendant had become cracked due to the flesh curse he sustained and how his powers had been getting progressively weaker the longer he went without properly shifting and how that was also the reason he had been going through waves of declining health. He even mentioned how he had sought out a ship to take him to the Northern Islands in hopes that he would be able to seek treatment there.

Hongjoong intently hung onto his every word as he spoke.

“But wait. San?” Hongjoong interjected. “I saw him head this way with you... so is he…?”

“You can come out now San.” Seonghwa called out over the water.

There was a slight ripple towards the centre of the lagoon as San slowly surfaced, leaving only the top of his head and his piercing eyes above the waterline, glaring at Hongjoong.

“Ah, so he really is like you then.” Hongjoong said quietly.

San quickly disappeared beneath the surface again. He emerged a couple minutes later having fully shifted back to his human form. He swam over to the edge of the lagoon and strode out of the water, past Hongjoong and Seonghwa without saying a word or even making eye contact. Hastily grabbing his clothes he clumsily redressed before disappearing off into the jungle.

“I don’t think he likes me all that much.” Hongjoong laughed.

“Don’t take his cold actions the wrong way.” Seonghwa replied quietly. “San has gone through more than anyone his age should have. He’s still quite apprehensive of showing his merman form, much like myself.”

“You don’t ever need to feel scared being in this form around me, okay?” Hongjoong replied calmly. “I also apologize for catching you unaware. I really didn’t mean any harm by it. When I saw you and San heading off into the jungle I feared for your condition in this harsh environment, I hope you can forgive me for following you here.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Seonghwa replied. “I know you’re not the type of person to do something like this maliciously.”

“Do any of the others know?” Hongjoong asked.

“Yeosang figured out what we were on day one. He really is amazingly perceptive.” Seonghwa said with a small huff. “Wooyoung also knows but other than that, it’s just the three of you.”

“Well, I promise to keep your secret then.” Hongjoong replied with a smile.

“Thank you.”

Hongjoong reached over and gently brushed Seonghwa's damp hair out of his face, exposing the scales that speckled across his temple and the small rigid fin where his ear would be. Seonghwa's face continued to stay flushed as Hongjoong leaned in closer.

“Gorgeous.” Hongjoong muttered.

Seonghwa looked up at him with a partially fractured expression of surprise, devastation and adoration all at the same time. In an impulsive action, Seonghwa quickly lessened the distance between them. He gently tilted Hongjoong's chin upwards with his scaly hand as he leaned in closely and began to gently kiss him.

Hongjoong didn’t flinch at Seonghwa’s touch, he didn’t move away, but instead he embraced Seonghwa’s action, shuffling up onto his knees and pressing himself ever closer. A heat quickly crept over his body as he felt Seonghwa’s tongue gently press into his mouth, making long, languid strokes as he ran it over his bottom lip. 

Awkwardly shifting his body once more in an attempt to straddle Seonghwa’s large tail fin, Hongjoong quickly clung to Seonghwa’s shoulders to help keep himself upright. A small moan escaped his lips when he felt Seonghwa’s cool scaly hand slowly slide up under the back of his shirt.

Seonghwa quickly took hold of Hongjoong and flipped him onto his back, lazily wrapping his tail fin around Hongjoong’s legs to pull himself closer. Hongjoong casually laid back on the sand, pulling Seonghwa on top of him as he continued to kiss him, their rhythm quickly becoming more and more fervent.

An image suddenly flashed in Hongjoong’s mind. He was in the rough and icy cold waters, barely able to stay afloat.

Hongjoong gave a sudden gasp and Seonghwa pulled back slightly before leaning back in, gently sucking on the soft flesh of Hongjoong’s neck.

A second image quickly replaced the first. He was drowning.

Followed by another. He was suddenly on that deserted beach.

And another. A dark-haired stranger was looming over him.

It quickly became overwhelming for him.

“Wait. Wait stop!” Hongjoong blurted out, pushing Seonghwa away and quickly rolling only his side, curling his knees into his chest.

Seonghwa instantly let go of Hongjoong and shuffled back a few inches in a panic. 

“I'm so sorry.” Seonghwa sputtered. “I overstepped, didn’t I.”

“No, no that's not it.” Hongjoong replied, his voice strained as he sat back up. 

He closed his eyes tightly and began aggressively rubbing his temples as if he was trying to fight off a bad headache.

“Hongjoong... what's wrong?” Seonghwa asked in concern.

“It’s like... I’m having really bad deja vu or something…” Hongjoong gritted out as the pain became worse. “The trauma just keeps replaying in my mind, over and over…”

Suddenly it was like a veil had been lifted, as if all the fragmented memories slowly fell back in place, the missing piece finally revealed. Hongjoong slowly opened his eyes, an expression of utter disbelief spreading across his face as he slowly turned to face Seonghwa again.

“I remember.” He whispered. “I finally remember. It was you!”

Hongjoong approached Seonghwa once more, intently meeting his gaze.

“What was me?” Seonghwa asking, somewhat flustered. 

“Ten years ago.” Hongjoong continued, trying to explain at a frantic pace. “You remember the story I told you? How I almost drowned? Ten years ago you saved me! It was you! In your merman form. In  _ this _ form! You rescued me and brought me to a deserted island. You were the dark-haired stranger from my memories. You saved my life!”

Seonghwa blinked heavily at him in disbelief. “You must be mistaken.”

“No, I swear! The sea witch, the one who you said gave you the crystal, it must have been the same person! They said they were going to erase our memories of what transpired—of each other—but somehow I now remember?” Hongjoong’s once excited voice suddenly dropped and the gravity of the situation took hold of him. “You lost your memories… because of me. You were exiled… because of me.”

“Hongjoong, I really don’t—”

“Yeosang! I bet he can help! I bet he can undo the memory charm or whatever was placed upon you.” Hongjoong said excitedly once more.

Seonghwa wanted to believe Hongjoong but it just didn’t seem likely to him. At the same time though, a small voice in the back of his mind was screaming that this might be the only chance for the gaps of Seonghwa’s past to finally be filled in. Seonghwa was a little apprehensive about everything but if it really was true, if he really did save Hongjoong all those years ago maybe it would finally give the both of them the closure they desperately needed. It was worth a try.

“Just let me shift forms and we can go and see if Yeosang can be of any help, alright?” Seonghwa said calmly as he slipped back into the water. “This may take a little while…”

Hongjoong nodded as Seonghwa disappeared below the surface.

***

San had begrudgingly made his way back to the camp and had wandered along the shore.

He sat alone on the damp sand of the beach, far from the camp and the light from the fires being mere specs in the distance. Each time the waves washed up on shore, they would run over his bare feet giving him a small feeling of comfort even if he couldn’t shift right then and there. 

Having amassed a small pile of stones and seashells, he casually skipped them across the water, his mind wandering but continually looping back to the image of Hongjoong and Seonghwa sitting together at the lagoon. He had become so used to Seonghwa always being by his side that now that he was preoccupied with Hongjoong instead, the once small jealous pang in San’s stomach had grown tenfold but instead of seeking some form of attention from one of the others, he merely isolated himself as far away from them as possible.

“San?” Wooyoung’s voice called from down the beach.

San paid him no attention and kept to his melancholy stone-skipping.

“San what are you doing way out here by yourself?” Wooyoung asked as he approached San.

“Nothing. Just thinking about things.” San mumbled.

“Hey have you seen Hongjoong anywhere? I can’t seem to find him.” Wooyoung asked as he plopped down on the wet sand beside San.

“He’s off with Seonghwa.” San replied curtly. “ _ Again _ .”

“Ah…” Wooyoung sighed as he worked over his sore muscles with a small groan as his joints ached from the day’s work.

“He knows.” San mumbled, chucking a shell violently into an oncoming wave.

“Knows what?” Wooyoung asked in a preoccupied tone as he struggled to pull off his boots one by one. It quickly clicked in his mind what San was referring to. “Wait. You mean… about… your  _ thing?” _

“Yeah.”

“If there was one person who I had to trust with my deepest, darkest secrets it would be him. I wouldn’t worry about it.” Wooyoung replied confidently.

“I guess you’re right.” San mumbled.

San knew deep down that Hongjoong could definitely be trusted but it wasn’t really the trust aspect that bothered him, it was the jealousy he harboured instead. 

It wasn’t long before Wooyoung picked up on San’s gloomy disposition. He slowly inched closer until he could playfully rest his chin on San’s shoulder but San quickly wriggled away as heat roiled up in his gut, his cheeks burning and his heartbeat rapidly increasing.

“No, stop! Don’t touch me!” San sputtered out as he scrambled to his feet, immediately putting a couple feet between them.

“What? Why? What’s wrong?” Wooyoung was perplexed by San’s sudden actions.

“I can’t do this.” San said, shaking his head in frustration.

“Can’t do what? San, what’s wrong? Did I do something?” Wooyoung pleaded as he struggled to get to his feet.

San kept shaking his head and backing away from him whenever he took a step closer.

“No it’s just that I — I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong with me. Maybe I’m sick.” San said, averting eye contact and refusing to look at Wooyoung as his heart continued to pound in his chest.

Wooyoung continued to give him a puzzling look. “What do you mean? Do you need me to get Yeosang?”

“No, I — ” San was evidently flustered and he didn’t even know how to describe things. “When we are together it’s normally fine but a while back when we were in your cabin… afterwards I—I felt something. It was like my skin had been set on fire from the inside out and everything inside of me was constantly being tied in knots. I couldn’t stop thinking about you but whenever I did it would get worse and I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me—”

“San… have you never been with someone intimately before?” Wooyoung asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, have you never been in love with someone before?”

“I love Seonghwa?” San replied in a tiny, confused voice.

“Yes but were you ever intimate with him? Like, did you ever,  _ you know _ …”

“Kiss him? Yeah, all the time.” San retorted with a proud huff.

“No I mean like  _ more _ than that. Have you ever done anything intimate… as a human?”

San just tilted his head in his mounting confusion. Wooyoung took a step back as he realized that San had never actually been with another human before. He had no frame of reference for sexual attraction.

“No wonder you were so hot and bothered and thought you were dying.” Wooyoung commented while running his hand through his hair.

“I still don’t know what you’re saying.” San replied.

“San, what you felt was completely normal for a human.” Wooyoung explained. “It means you have a connection with the other person. Not just an emotional connection like you have with Seonghwa, but a physical one as well.”

“So I have this connection…  _ with you _ ?” San said with a hint of hesitation as he raised an eyebrow.

Wooyoung nodded. “I think so. Let me show you. I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want to show you this is normal for humans.”

San hesitated again before slowly nodding. Wooyoung cautiously wrapped one arm around San’s slender waist and pulled him in close until their bodies were tightly pressed against each other.

“Your heart is probably beating really fast right now, isn’t it? And you feel hot? Maybe like there are butterflies in your stomach?” Wooyoung said as he gently ran the back of his hand down the side of San’s neck, knowing he had seemed to immensely enjoy that previously.

San frantically nodded, his cheeks having turned bright red, though they were hidden by the darkness of the beach. Like clockwork, San leaned into his touch with a soft groan as Wooyoung ran a finger over his Adam's apple and then along his jawline.

Wooyoung slowly pulled his hand away and took hold of San’s hand, placing it on his chest above his heart.

“You feel that?” Wooyoung asked. “You feel my heart beating fast as well?”

San nodded again before looking up and meeting his gaze with a sense of understanding.

“That means I share the same connection with you.”

San gave him a wanting expression.

“Show me more.” He replied eagerly in a low voice.

Before he knew what was happening, Wooyoung was kissing him again.

San felt that intense heat roiling up in his gut again, but he didn’t shy away from it this time. Instead, he chased it. He let himself revel in it, let himself enjoy the way Wooyoung was touching him, his grip gentle but sure.

San wasn’t sure which of them pushed or which of them pulled, but in an instant they were tumbling in the sand, too caught up in each other to be bothered by it. Wooyoung giggled softly as he pulled San in closer, staring into his eyes just long enough to smile before kissing him again.

San had kissed, before, but never like  _ this,  _ never in a way that had him so wrapped up in every shift and touch… never in a way that made his skin sing with heat, as though fire was burning under his very skin. Fire he would gladly let consume him if it meant just one more touch, one more smile, one more kiss from those lips.

Wooyoung leaned back when San surged forward, eager for more, and the sound he made was nothing short of delighted. Wooyoung’s hands found San’s waist and he pulled him in closer, almost on top of him.

“Is this what you want? Is this what you like?” San breathed frantically as he crawled into Wooyoung’s lap, straddling him and leaning in close… as though any space between them was too much.

“Shh, don’t worry about me. This is all about you right now, okay?” Wooyoung soothed, his hands coming down to grip at San’s thighs. As he slid them up toward San’s hips, the boy in his lap gave an almost violent shiver, and Wooyoung smirked. “Is this what  _ you  _ like?”

San whimpered, nodding emphatically. He couldn’t help but to squirm under the touch, but every roll of his hips down against Wooyoung’s was sending that glorious heat up his entire spine. He wanted to keep chasing that feeling, found himself grinding eagerly against Wooyoung’s lap for more of that delicious friction.

“Woo-Wooyoung… y-you… feel so good…” San panted out, his head falling back a little as his hips began moving a little faster as if of their own accord. When Wooyoung held fast to San’s thighs, then craned his head to press heated kisses down the side of San’s neck, he let out a strangled, inhuman sound.

“Mm, you’re so sensitive here…” Wooyoung murmured against his hammering pulse, kissing him there once more as San jolted under him.

“It’s— _ ah— _ they’re… my gills are supposed to be…  _ oh— _ ” San babbled nonsensically in answer, not even realizing he hadn’t formed a full sentence.

“That so?” Wooyoung asked, kissing the tender flesh a little rougher before soothing his tongue over the spot in one long, languid stroke.

San went eerily still and silent for a drawn out breath of a moment before he let out a strained cry, shivering and shaking in Wooyoung’s hold.

Had San just—?

Wooyoung’s eyes drew upward, and the dazed expression on San’s face said everything he didn’t.

Wooyoung soothed him with sweet kisses along his jaw, his fingers rubbing gentle circles into his hips. “You okay?”

San made a sort of gurgled affirmative sound before he managed to find his voice. “Mm… that felt incredible.

“Oh, you thought  _ that  _ was incredible?” Wooyoung drawled in a teasing sort of tone. “I haven’t shown you  _ anything  _ yet.”

When Wooyoung pulled him close for another kiss, San wasn’t sure if he’d ever recover.

***

Back at the lagoon things were progressing slowly. Despite the process taking much longer than normal—as Seonghwa did not want to risk his frail condition worsening and overtly worrying Hongjoong—Seonghwa shifted back to his human form. He cautiously made his way out of the water and redressed before the dull throbs of pain in his abdomen started up, signalling that despite his care in shifting he wasn’t out of the woods just yet.

“Let’s get going!” Hongjoong said as he quickly got to his feet.

Instead Seonghwa just shook his head and slowly sat down on the damp sand.

“Just give me a few minutes.” He replied with a sigh as he slowly lay back, closing his eyes and holding tightly around his stomach. “It takes a lot of effort for my body to heal after a shift. I just need to take it slow.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Hongjoong asked quietly as he sat back down beside Seonghwa, watching over him intently.

Seonghwa shook his head once more. He knit his eyebrows tightly together in an attempt to focus his thoughts and stave off the increasing waves of pain. To his surprise the pain wasn’t as nearly bad this time around. Maybe it was because he had properly shifted for the first time in over a month, maybe it was because of the extra precautions he took in shifting back but he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when the pain quickly subsided.

After making sure he was physically ready to head back, Hongjoong excitedly got to his feet once more, extending a hand to help pull Seonghwa up with him. Together they hurriedly made their way through the thick jungle back to the camp in search of Yeosang.

Having burst into a sprint as soon as he reached the sandy beach, Hongjoong immediately headed straight towards Yeosang’s tent. He barged inside, not even paying any mind to Yunho who was still sharing the space with him and was quite startled by Hongjoong’s sudden and exhausted appearance.

“Yeosang!” Hongjoong called, halfway out of breath with Seonghwa following slowly behind several seconds later.

Yeosang looked up from his books to see Hongjoong frantically making his way towards him.

“How good are you at reversing memory charms?!” Hongjoong blurted out.

“Memory charms?” Yeosang inquired curiously. “With my weak abilities that would definitely required the use of black magic and you expressly forbid—”

“I don’t care what I said before!” Hongjoong gasped out, pounding his fist on the table separating him and Yeosang, causing the small vials on it to rattle dangerously.

“Alright alright.” Yeosang replied with a tone as he pulled out a large leather-bound book from one of the nearby piles.

“So what exactly are we tackling here?” Yeosang asked as he began to leaf through the book.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa merely exchanged a reassuring look between themselves. If everything Hongjoong had said at the lagoon was true, it was time to finally crack the mystery of their shared past wide open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Scarlettsiren once again for helping me with the spicy Woosan bit.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting things off with a little bit of inception. Kind of fitting right now...

_ Someone… please… help me… I don’t want to die… _

Hongjoong’s thoughts rang out through the dark depths of the ocean.

_ This is the end... _

Hongjoong knew there was no coming back from this as he began drifting in and out of consciousness.

_ I'm sorry. Just hold on a bit longer.  _ A voice responded in the darkness. 

As cannon fire flashed up above the surface, Seonghwa emerged from the darkness in front of him, his black-scaled body looking menacing when silhouetted in the bright orange light from the cannons far above. Seonghwa swam slow circles around the sinking Hongjoong as a look of confusion spread across his face, his eyes curiously trailing over Hongjoong’s body.

_ But… it’s a human? _

Seonghwa was shocked to discover that the cries for help that he had heard were not from one of his kin but instead were those of a human. It didn’t make any sense. How could a human have called out to him? This was quite the strange predicament; the human was evidently in dire need of help but Seonghwa knew he was absolutely forbidden from doing so.

_ Help… me…  _ Hongjoong's thoughts pleaded one last time before his eyes closed and his body went still in the water.

Despite how much he might have tried to fight against the strong currents, all his work had been for naught as Hongjoong began to sink deeper by the second. His final breath had run out and his lungs were filling with stinging cold sea water.

To hell with the laws, Seonghwa knew that he had to act fast. He couldn’t just let this human perish right in front of his eyes. 

_ Air. He needs air! _

Seonghwa knew he had to somehow get him back above the surface. He frantically swam down to meet Hongjoong, struggling to navigate around Hongjoong’s foreign clothing before tightly wrapping his scaly arms around his chest. Once his grip was secured, Seonghwa used all the energy he had to swim upwards as fast and as hard as he could, pulling Hongjoong back up to the surface in a matter of seconds. As soon as they broke through the waves Hongjoong struggled to breathe, letting out a barrage of coughs and wheezes as he desperately tried filling his lungs with air again. 

He was alive but barely and he was in no state to be able to keep himself afloat in the rough waters.

_ Open your eyes…  _ Seonghwa pleaded.  _ Please. _

But Hongjoong’s body had reached its limits and he remained unconscious, head lolling to the side against Seonghwa’s scaly shoulder. Seonghwa took a quick survey of their surroundings, looking off into the distance at the burning ships slowly sinking into the sea and then quickly back to Hongjoong as his mind went into a mild panic. 

What was he supposed to do with this unconscious human in his arms? If he were to let him go he would surely drown again within minutes. He couldn’t take him back to his kind for fear of being caught but at the same time Seonghwa wasn’t even sure if Hongjoong  _ could _ return to his kind as the scene of the ships in front of them was a fiery hellscape of death and destruction.

Seonghwa did the only thing he could do, he had to swim Hongjoong to safety. He knew that there was a coral reef surrounded by a series of small, uninhabited islands not too far away. That is where he would take him and he would just have to pray that the other humans would come searching for him.

Despite only being a couple miles away, the swim carrying the extra weight was grueling on Seonghwa’s body, especially because he had to keep Hongjoong’s head above water the entire time. 

When they finally reached the sandy beach of the closest island, Seonghwa struggled to drag Hongjoong's upper body up and out of the water until he could go no further. Seonghwa was absolutely exhausted. He collapsed on the wet sand, just laying there for several minutes taking in gulping breaths of air as the waves washed over the lower portion of his tail fin as he tried to regain his composure. He was not used to spending this much time above the surface and his throat had become uncomfortably dry from the comparatively harsh sea air. 

His entire body ached and his arm muscles felt weak and numb but he knew he couldn’t just leave Hongjoong at the water’s edge. Digging his fingers into the sand, he struggled to pull himself fully out of the water before doubling back and grabbing onto the shoulders of Hongjoong’s coat, roughly pulling him up further up onto the beach until he was far enough away from the water’s edge that the waves could no longer reach him.

The sun was already starting to rise as Seonghwa began trying to check Hongjoong’s condition. But he had no idea where to start or even how a human’s body worked. The multiple layers of clothing that Hongjoong wore disoriented Seonghwa greatly. Was this some kind of weird skin? Was this actually part of his body? After much exploration, Seonghwa learned that the clothes were merely an unnecessary covering and he carefully peeled Hongjoong out of his heavy coat, leaving only a thin cotton shirt underneath. He pulled himself closer and leaned over Hongjoong. Placing his ear to Hongjoong’s chest, he was mildly startled when he could hear Hongjoong’s strong heartbeat. He listened again and could just barely make out of the sound of faint breathing. Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief himself.

Moving up his body he tilted Hongjoong's head to the side and brushed back his wet hair to reveal his neck. Looking at the pale flesh, Seonghwa quickly scolded himself knowing it was stupid to check for gills when dealing with a human. But he still couldn’t help but gently run his fingers down the soft flesh of Hongjoong’s neck. Hongjoong’s stirred ever so slightly under Seonghwa’s touch causing Seonghwa to frighten and quickly shuffle away.

After surveying him from a distance for a minute or so, Seonghwa slowly approached once more. He hesitated slightly before giving Hongjoong’s cheek a forceful pat.

“Hey.” Seonghwa called quietly, his voice hoarse as he was properly vocalizing for the first time. “Hey, open your eyes.”

Hongjoong stirred once more from the force of Seonghwa’s hand against his cheek and slowly opened his eyes, his sight struggling to focus on the dark visage of a dripping wet, dark-haired Seonghwa hovering over him. 

“Are you... alright?” Seonghwa asked in a nervous voice.

At first Hongjoong had no idea what had happened or where he was. He had no clue who this person was either and his brows furrowed in confusion as a heavy fog still clouded his mind.

"W-where am I? How did I get here?" Hongjoong croaked, craning his neck to take in his surroundings as he slowly tried to sit up.

That's when his line of vision slowly made its way down Seonghwa’s body to the long fishtail. His eyes went wide in fear as he jerked fully awake, immediately overcome with fear. In a panic he shuffled as far away from Seonghwa as he could. Seonghwa who was also startled by Hongjoong’s sudden actions had quickly backed away towards the water to put several feet between them and allow him a quick escape if needed.

“Y-you’re… a mermaid!" Hongjoong blurted out, mildly terrified of the scaly human-like creature splayed on the sand in front of him.

“Merman.” Seonghwa quietly corrected him.

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat there in stunned silence for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to make of the situation or of each other.

“Did… did  _ you _ save me?” Hongjoong asked.

Seonghwa shyly nodded.

“But…  _ why _ ?”

Seonghwa hesitated for a moment. “I heard you calling out to me.”

“What?”

“Someone, please, help me. I don’t want to die.” Seonghwa repeated calmly. “Those were your thoughts, were they not? I don’t know how, as you’re a human, but I could hear your distress as clear as ever. And then I found  _ you _ and I couldn’t just let you perish.”

“So did you save me just so you could kill me yourself or something? I mean, you  _ are _ a merman after all.”

“What?” Seonghwa replied, tilting his head to the side and taking mild offence to the statement. “Why would I ever want to harm you? You have done nothing to harm me.”

“I don’t know, that’s just what the crew members on my father’s ship used to say about merfolk. I mean he didn’t like them saying those things, but they shared the stories anyway.” Hongjoong muttered. “About how merfolk enjoyed tormenting humans and that they’d lure them in and drown them for fun.”

The expression of shock and disgust on Seonghwa’s face quickly alerted Hongjoong to the fact that this was definitely not Seonghwa’s ideology or intention at all.

“So you really saved me… just for the sake of saving me.” Hongjoong muttered, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly.

“I guess so…” Seonghwa replied. “I should leave you now. We are not supposed to get involved with humans. If I were to get caught here—”

“No wait!” Hongjoong sputtered out, scrambling a couple feet closer. “Please don’t leave. At least… not yet.”

Seonghwa just looked at him wide-eyed with an air of concern. Mere minutes ago this human was terrified of him but now he was asking him to stay? 

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

Hongjoong anxiously kicked at the sand at his feet but otherwise ignored Seonghwa’s question.

“What is your name?” Hongjoong blurted out.

“Seonghwa.”

“Seonghwa? That's a pretty name. My name is Hongjoong.” He said quietly. 

"Is there something that you need?" Seonghwa asked, a feeling of impatience starting to grow within him. “Otherwise I really need to return to the sea.”

Hongjoong hugged his knees even tighter, tears beginning to well in his eyes. “Please, Seonghwa. My family. Did you see what happened to them? I need to know where they are. I need to know if they are okay...” 

Seonghwa’s heart sank. He hesitated as he weighed his options. Part of him knew that he should just leave and be done with this human before his own life could be at stake. But seeing how distraught Hongjoong was warred on his conscience. There was something about him that he just couldn't ignore.

“I really shouldn’t but… Just—Wait here.” Seonghwa instructed. “I will be back shortly.”

Hongjoong nodded as he buried his face against his knees. With that, Seonghwa slithered his way back into the water and quickly dove back into the sea. He made the long trek back to the wreckage of the ships to search for any sign of survivors. When he was almost to the ships it suddenly dawned on him just how reckless he was being. If there were survivors there would be no way to communicate with them the whereabouts of Hongjoong and absolutely no way for him to go unseen. Finding any survivors would definitely mean that Seonghwa’s life would become forfeit for the sake of the human boy… but something within Seonghwa told him he had to be sure. He had to search for them. He had to make sure Hongjoong had closure.

Reaching the scene from the night before, the surrounding area gave no sign of life. The bottom of the sea was even more unforgiving. The boats that had been involved in the attack lay charred, broken and shattered, their contents and the bodies of their crew lay strewn across the sea floor. It was all too much for Seonghwa to bear witness to and he returned to the surface once more in search of any sign of a row boat or anything set adrift that could harbor a survivor… but there was nothing.

Hongjoong sat alone on the shore, tightly holding onto his legs eagerly waiting for Seonghwa to return and for any news of his family. When Seonghwa finally broke through the surface off the coast of the small island, Hongjoong quickly got to his feet and ran to the water's edge.

Seonghwa just looked at him with a grim expression and solemnly shook his head.

Hongjoong’s knees buckled under him and he collapsed to the ground, giving a loud wail in agony. He pounded the damp sand with his fists as tears streamed down his face. Seonghwa slowly swam closer and pulled himself out of the water, curling his large tail fin under him so he could kneel beside Hongjoong. He cautiously reached out and placed a scaly hand on Hongjoong’s shaking shoulder, attempting to give it a reassuring rub.

“I am so sorry Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said calmly. “I could not find any other survivors.”

Hongjoong let out another exasperated wail, turning and pressing himself tightly against Seonghwa. Seonghwa slowly wrapped his arm around Hongjoong and pulled him in closer so Hongjoong’s head was resting against his chest, his entire body heaving as he cried. Seonghwa tried to comfort him the best he could but dealing with humans was a new and scary concept to him and he wasn’t even sure if what he was doing would help.

They just sat like that for some time, Seonghwa holding tightly onto him until Hongjoong’s crying began to ease and his body became less tense.

“You’re so soft and warm.” Seonghwa whispered as he cradled Hongjoong’s head with his hand, gently petting over the back of Hongjoong’s hair in small strokes.

“That’s such an odd thing to say.” Hongjoong said with a bit of a laugh between sniffles.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Seonghwa retorted. “You’re the first human I’ve ever come across… I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do in this sort of situation.”

“I don’t think anyone would really know…” Hongjoong continued. “But thank you.”

Slowly Hongjoong began to compose himself and slowly pulled away.

"I really must be leaving now.” Seonghwa said quietly as he turned to head back to the sea.

“No, please.” Hongjoong said, grabbing onto Seonghwa’s wrist, looking him deeply in the eyes. “Just a little longer.”

Seonghwa hesitantly complied to his wishes and stayed with Hongjoong on the beach as the sun rose higher into the sky. He lazily stretched out and lay on the sandy beach, the warm sun felt wonderful on his scales. 

Hongjoong still seemed a little apprehensive of Seonghwa but at the same time he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. There was something about Seonghwa’s dark iridescent scales shining in the sunlight that constantly drew his eyes back to them.

“So you’ve really never met a human before?” Hongjoong asked quietly.

Seonghwa shook his head as he fiddled with a piece of hair that kept hanging in his face.

“I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise. I’ve never met a merman before either."

Hongjoong watched intently as Seonghwa idly raised and lowered his large tail fin. He was so preoccupied with Seonghwa laying in front of him that he didn’t even realize his own condition was fading. It wasn’t long before Hongjoong’s stomach let out a large growl and he quickly crossed his arms over his stomach.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was so hungry until just now.” He said with a hint of embarrassment.

Hongjoong sat back up and looked around at the small island they were on in search of anything edible but the dense foliage of the tiny island was all foreign to him.

"If it’s food you need, let me help." Seonghwa said as he calmly pushed himself back towards the water.

Seonghwa was only gone for a few minutes but when he returned he was carrying several large whitefish in his hands. A proud smile spread across his face as he tossed the fish up on shore towards Hongjoong.

"Wow Seonghwa, you're amazing!" Hongjoong exclaimed. "Let me just build a fire—"

Before Hongjoong had finished his thought Seonghwa had grabbed a raw fish and taken a large bite out of it. A look of utter disgust spread across Hongjoong's face and he gagged slightly. Seonghwa immediately noticed Hongjoong's response and lowered the fish from his lips. After quickly swallowing the large bite he had taken, he just looked at Hongjoong with concern.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Yes, uh, no, I mean… normally we, I mean humans, have to cook the fish before we eat it." Hongjoong explained awkwardly. “I’ve just never seen someone eat it  _ raw _ .”

Seonghwa looked completely perplexed and tilted his head to the side to try and understand what Hongjoong meant. How else would a fish be eaten than straight from the sea?

"I need to build a fire. Just wait a few minutes. I will show you." Hongjoong said as he shuffled to his feet and wandered over to the edge of the jungle to gather some wood to use as kindling.

It took Hongjoong about an hour to collect enough dry wood and start a small fire. Wisps of smoke slowly twisted into the air as he worked and Seonghwa was watching intently the entire time as this entire concept was so foreign to him. It wasn't long before a small flame burst forth and Seonghwa was quickly startled by it, shuffling away from the fire as it grew in front of him.

"Have you never seen fire before?" Hongjoong asked.

"If that is what this is, I have only ever seen humans destroy each other's ships with it." Seonghwa said as he eyed the flame.

"Ah well we use it for many things other than that." Hongjoong said with a bitter laugh.

Seonghwa curiously reached out towards the flame but Hongjoong quickly swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch it!" Hongjoong hissed. "It will hurt you!"

Seonghwa nervously pulled his hand back and clutched it tightly with his other hand in front of his chest.

"Thank you. I did not realize. This is all so new to me."

Hongjoong continued to prepare the fish, skewering them on long sticks and placing them over the fire, turning them every now and then to get an even char. In several minutes the fish had been fully cooked and he casually passed one to Seonghwa.

"Here, but be careful, it's hot."

Seonghwa curiously looked at the blackened fish in his hands, slowly turning it over. It certainly didn’t look appetizing to him anymore. He gave it a small sniff but the scent was actually quite intriguing. He cautiously took a bite and the flavour completely overwhelmed his taste buds and he let out an excited hum.

Hongjoong gave a laugh at Seonghwa’s reaction as he quickly ate his own fish.

"You like it?" Hongjoong asked, his mouth full of food.

"Yes, very much." Seonghwa said as he inhaled the rest of his fish.

They happily devoured the remaining fish that Seonghwa had caught before making themselves comfortable on the beach.

“Tell me more. I want to know more about humans, about the land.” Seonghwa said in a quiet yet eager voice.

Hongjoong happily obliged his request.

The two of them spent the remainder of the day comfortably in each other’s company until the sun had begun to sink on the horizon once more. Hongjoong and Seonghwa spent hours just swapping stories, Hongjoong explained what life was like on the land while Seonghwa regaled stories of his many adventures in the sea. Eventually the shock of the previous trauma had begun to wane, Hongjoong’s body and mind finally being put at ease even if only through distraction. He laid his head on Seonghwa’s scaly lap, listening intently to his stories as Seonghwa idly wove small messy braids into his shaggy hair. Hongjoong wondered how long they would be able to stay like this, just carefree and content.

It wasn’t long before his pleasant daydream was shattered and they were suddenly interrupted.

“Well what do we have here?” A deep voice asked from behind them. 

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa jolted at the sound, Hongjoong quickly sitting up and putting as much distance as he could between him and Seonghwa. They whipped around in a panic to see where the source of the voice had come from. It was a tall, long-haired figure with an intimidating yet beautiful presence. They appeared to have been fishing and carefully placed their catch down on the sand as they slowly approached the two, an open flowing robe trailing lightly behind them as they walked barefoot across the beach. Seonghwa went to retreat to the sea when the individual gave a quick wave of their hand and Seonghwa and Hongjoong quickly discovered that neither of them could move.

“Ah, not so fast! We can’t have you running away just yet.” The person said casually.

“You’re a sea witch, aren’t you.” Hongjoong muttered quietly.

“Sea witch? Hmm yes that is what many have called me in the past.” They said in a light yet pensive tone as they continued to approach. “I’ve had many names over the centuries. I’ve been called a dragon, a divine being, and even a mysterious force of nature but I merely consider myself the benevolent governor of the Northern seas and all the creatures that reside within them.” 

Their voice was hauntingly calm and reassuring yet oddly terrifying at the same time as they looked between the two of them, seemingly quite fascinated by Seonghwa’s black scales.

“Now, aren’t the two of you interesting; a merman and a human together.” The witch said as they knelt down in front of them. “I’m sure you must not be foolish enough to not know the laws?” They asked, turning to Seonghwa. “Has this human done anything to hurt you? To drag you from the sea against your will? If so, I will not hesitate to punish them on your behalf.”

Seonghwa quickly averted eye contact and shook his head “no.”

“Oh dear. So you willingly exposed yourself to a human then?” They asked, a frown spreading across their face.

Seonghwa hesitated before slowly nodding.

“Well, this does not fare well for you.” The witch said with sigh, their frown becoming more prominent. “Do you really take full responsibility for these matters? I would really hate to take the life of one so young and from such an ancient lineage.”

“Wait, you’re gonna kill him?!” Hongjoong blurted out.

“It’s the law of the sea unfortunately. Merfolk from these parts are absolutely forbidden from interacting with humans, punishable by death. I don’t make the laws, I am only tasked with enforcing them.” The witch said with a sad sigh. “It’s either his life… or yours.”

Hongjoong’s heart sank at the witch’s words.

“It was my choice to become involved. I accept the consequences. I knew better and I was foolish.” Seonghwa said, his head hung low, voice cracking as tears began to well in his eyes.

“So be it.” The witch said with another sad sigh. “Such a pity to kill something so beautiful, I will make this as quick and painless as possible.”

Seonghwa nodded with a shuddered breath, tears had begun to stream down his face.

“Wait no! Seonghwa you can’t just give up so easily! After all you did for me, everything you risked for me!” Hongjoong cried out, turning to the witch. “You can’t kill him!”

“And why is that?” The witch asked, turning back to Hongjoong. “Unless you’re volunteering to take his place?”

“He saved my life! You can’t kill him. I begged him to stay, it’s not his fault!”

The witch raised an eyebrow.

“My father’s ship was attacked. I was drowning and he rescued me.” Hongjoong continued. “Please, I’ve lost everything; my entire family. All Seonghwa did was try to help me.”

“Is this true? You went out of your way to save the life of a human in danger?”

Seonghwa nodded. “He called out to me, I could hear his panicked thoughts. I thought it was one of my kind calling for help at first but then when I discovered he was human… I couldn’t just let him drown.”

“His thoughts called out to you?” The witch made a very curious expression. “But if he were human that wouldn’t be possible...”

The witch shuffled closer to Hongjoong and gently took his chin in his hand, turning his head this way and that, intently looking him over as Hongjoong attempted to avert eye contact but otherwise was powerless to fight back.

“Hmm this can’t be right.” The witch muttered before placing some sort of self-revealing spell over Hongjoong.

“Well aren’t you something peculiar. This certainly changes things… I didn’t think someone like you could have existed and yet here you are.” The witch muttered to themself. “This is quite the predicament indeed.”

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa exchanged worried glances not knowing exactly what the witch’s words meant. The witch sat back on their knees for a long moment in deep contemplation.

“I will tell you what. I am feeling generous today.” They said, having come to a final decision. “I will give you another option. I will perform some memory charms so that neither of you will remember what has occurred here, you will never know you met and Seonghwa, was it? If you accept an exile to land instead I will consider your punishment fulfilled and both your lives will be spared.”

Seonghwa looked nervously between Hongjoong and the witch before nodding furiously. “I accept, as long as Hongjoong will be safe.”

“Very well.” The witch said getting back to their feet. 

The witch snapped their fingers to lift the paralyzing enchantment on the two of them, allowing them to have full movement once more. Hongjoong quickly shuffled over to Seonghwa and threw himself at him in a tight embrace.

“Seonghwa I am so sorry.” Hongjoong cried, his voice strained. “But thank you. For everything. I swear on day I will find you and repay your kindness.”

Seonghwa just nodded, his eyes teary as he pulled away.

The witch got to work performing the memory charm on Hongjoong without any hesitation. Placing one hand on Hongjoong’s head, he muttered a series of incantations before Hongjoong was overcome with a feeling of deep sleep and slowly crumpled onto the sand.

“Promise me that he will be okay.” Seonghwa pleaded in a small voice.

“I assure you he will be rescued very shortly.” The witch said reassuringly.

The witch gently placed a hand on Seonghwa’s head and he was quickly overcome with the sensation of sleep as well.

“Come, my sweet boy.” The witch said in a melancholy tone as they gently scooped up Seonghwa in their arms. “It’s time to start your new life on land.”

***

Seonghwa suddenly came-to, kneeling in the middle of a large, intricate magic circle that had been drawn in the sand. Yeosang and Hongjoong sat close by, watching him intently. All of Seonghwa’s memories had come flooding back to him and all he could do was sit there, completely and utterly overwhelmed. He remembered it all; his life in the sea, his family, the events leading up to his exile, Hongjoong. He felt something on his cheek and when he reached up to touch it he realized he was crying.

“Seonghwa? Are you okay?” Yeosang asked quietly when he noticed he had snapped out of the trance Yeosang had put him in to help break the memory charm.

“I remember. It was Hongjoong. I remember everything.” Seonghwa replied in a broken whisper, eyes slowly trailing over the sand to find Hongjoong.

“Ah, once again Yeosang your skills are truly amazing!” Hongjoong exclaimed excitedly, completely misreading the situation.

“Amazing, but highly illegal. If this is all taken care of, time to destroy the evidence before I get hauled away for using black magic on foreign soil.” Yeosang said as he quickly got to his feet and began hastily wiping away the magic circle insignia from the sand.

Hongjoong shuffled closer and gently took Seonghwa’s hands in his. Their facial expressions were a severe contrast of one another; Hongjoong was smiling endearingly at Seonghwa while Seonghwa was despondently staring at the sand looking distraught from having to relive the day that his entire life was ripped away from him. Seonghwa didn’t want to blame Hongjoong for the events that had happened that day since it was his choice to save him and subsequently stay with him and Hongjoong had grown to become such a caring and compassionate person but at the same time a very small part part of his mind was solely focused on the ‘what if’ of the situation. What if none of this had ever happened and he still lived happily in the sea. It was a lot for his mind to process after being locked away in his subconscious for so long. 

Hongjoong slowly began to realize that Seonghwa getting his memories back was not the joyous occasion that he had hoped for and his expression slowly turned to a more sombre one. 

“Seonghwa, I’m so sorry.” Hongjoong croaked out.

All Hongjoong could think to do was pull Seonghwa into a tight hug as Seonghwa’s emotions quickly overwhelmed him, sobbing deeply into Hongjoong’s shirt. After ten long years, it was finally his turn to console Seonghwa for all that had happened.

As they sat there the skies above them opened up, drenching them with warm tropical rain and quickly soaking them to the bones. But neither of them moved. They just sat there, tightly holding onto one another.

***

On the far end of the beach the sudden downpour had taken San and Wooyoung completely by surprise and they scrambled to grab the clothing that were strewn around them and sprint back to shelter. They arrived at the tent that Seonghwa and San had been sharing and stumbled onto the ground inside, San quickly hushing Wooyoung until he realized that the tent was completely empty.

“He must have decided to stay at the lagoon.” Wooyoung muttered as he tightly wrapped his arms around San from behind and began lightly kissing up the back of his neck.

While San had been quite receptive and eager earlier, he squirmed out of Wooyoung’s grasp, putting a bit of space between them.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” San said, walking over and slumping down on his tiny cot. “This rain, I bet it’s Seonghwa.”

“What makes you say that?” Wooyoung said, sitting down beside San as he casually turned over his boots to dump the water out of them.

“I don’t know, I can just feel it.” San mumbled. “I swear if this is because Hongjoong did something to upset him I’m going to knock his teeth out and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I’m sure you’re just overthinking things.” Wooyoung muttered as he lay back on the cot. “Why don’t we get some rest, hmm? You can worry about it if he’s not back in the morning.” 

Wooyoung motioned for San to lay back and after a moment of hesitation San eventually did so, curling up in Wooyoung’s arms as they drifted off to sleep.

When the first few rays of sunlight began to shine through the tent flap, San awoke surprised to see that Seonghwa never did return that night. He knew he had to go out and try to find him.

When he tried to get up every single muscle and joint in his lower body protested and his back was tied in knots. San let out a long groan with a bit of a grimace and roll of his neck and shoulders. He hadn’t felt so sore since coming to land for the first time. After a couple minutes of stretching and cracking joints, he carefully slipped away from Wooyoung who was still deep asleep beside him and stumbled his way out onto the beach. 

Quietly searching from tent to tent, there was no sign of Seonghwa or Hongjoong anywhere. Maybe Seonghwa had remained at the lagoon? Maybe he had drowned Hongjoong. San’s mind wandered between all the possibilities. He figured it was really none of his business and Seonghwa would probably show up again when he needed to but that still didn’t stop him from worrying. 

San decided to head to the makeshift infirmary during his search and pay Yeosang a visit to get something to treat his aching back and muscles. When San reached Yeosang’s tent he quietly ducked his head in. His heart gave a leap in his chest when he spotted Seonghwa laying there in front of him, fast asleep on one of the infirmary-style cots, several of his outer clothing layers scattered about him drying out from the night before. Immediately San’s mind jumped to the worst conclusion as to why Seonghwa was in the infirmary.

Rushing over to the side of Seonghwa’s cot, San quickly surveyed Seonghwa’s condition. He seemed completely fine from the outside but San knew there could be a myriad of things plaguing him from the inside.

“Seonghwa.” San whispered, giving Seonghwa’s shoulder a light pat. “Seonghwa!”

Seonghwa was deep asleep and didn’t respond other than giving a small murmur, reacting to San’s touch but the lack of response only made San’s mind panic even more after the severity of the previous incident.

“Let him sleep.” Hongjoong’s tired voice said from behind.

San whipped around to face an exhausted-looking Hongjoong approaching him. San immediately stood up and backed away from him, hand instinctively feeling for the knives he tended to keep on his hip.

“Huh, I guess he didn’t end up drowning you.” San hissed in a petty tone. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing, he just went through a lot last night. He’s probably exhausted.” Hongjoong said, noticing San’s hand and trying to diffuse the situation.

“What do you mean by ‘went through a lot’?” San pressed, having removed one of the small knives from it’s holder, twirling it between his fingers in an act of intimidation.

“San, put that away you know as well as I that I would never do anything to harm Seonghwa.” Hongjoong said in a tired but mildly scolding tone as San gave a small huff, shoving his knife back in its holder.

Hongjoong carefully guided San towards the back of the tent where Yeosang was already awake and preparing a variety of treatments for the other crew members.

“So you gonna tell me what happened or not?” San muttered out as Hongjoong shoved him down on a small stool.

Hongjoong took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair as he collected his thoughts.

“Did Seonghwa ever tell you why he was exiled?” Hongjoong started.

“Well, yeah. Seonghwa tells me everything.” San said matter-of-factly. “He got involved with a human and was forced to live on land but he lost most of his memories.”

“Well it turns out that the human from that story… was me.” Hongjoong said reluctantly, not knowing how San might react to this revelation.

“What?” San scoffed in disbelief.

“Ten years ago my family’s ships were attacked and I lost everything but Seonghwa saved my life. Unfortunately he was exiled in the process.” Hongjoong explained.

“I was able to reverse the memory charm on him and the two of them spent a long time discussing things last night.” Yeosang added absentmindedly as he worked.

San sat there in shock, his mouth hanging slightly agape.

“It was quite the crazy story.” Yunho piped up from a nearby cot.

“Wait Yunho knows too?!” San blurted out, looking over at him with raised eyebrows.

“Kind of hard not to when they’re talking about their life story so loudly within earshot for literally hours.” Yunho replied with a tired laugh. “But it’s fine, I think it’s cool that you and Seonghwa are mermen.”

San was speechless for a moment as he frantically looked between the three of them, feeling mildly betrayed that all of this had happened while he wasn’t around. 

“Is there anyone in the crew who doesn’t know now?!” He exaggerated in a huff.

“But as I was saying, it turns out that Seonghwa and myself have a past history. I honestly think destiny brought us all together for a reason.” Hongjoong said. “And I’m willing to help the both of you achieve what you’re looking for.”

“Alright. Destiny. Whatever. So be it. Just get us to the Northern Islands in one piece then.” San said dismissively, his jealousy clouding his better judgement. “Now I have some things I would like to discuss with Yeosang so some privacy would be nice.”

San shot Hongjoong a snide smile and he merely rolled his eyes in response knowing this was evidently not the best time to try and discuss things with him.

“I guess I should go find Mingi anyway.” Hongjoong said with a defeated sigh. “It looks like ship repairs are ahead of schedule so we might be able to leave a lot sooner than expected. Yeosang, he’s all yours.”

Hongjoong shot a tired glance at Yeosang who looked up from his work with a raised eyebrow.

As soon as Hongjoong had left, San quickly shuffled his stool over to Yeosang and quietly discussed his issues, trying to remain out of earshot of Yunho. Yeosang couldn’t help but let out a small stifled laugh knowing very well that Wooyoung had most likely been the cause of San’s sudden ‘back problems’. He prescribed some anti-inflammatories and some tonics to help relax his muscles and went to send San on his way. But San hesitated.

“So what  _ really _ happened between Seonghwa and Hongjoong?” San asked quietly.

“It’s hard to say for certain as I obviously cannot view their memories but having heard their lengthy discussion afterwards, it’s not an easy thing for either of them to fully come to terms with…” Yeosang said.

Yeosang quietly told San about everything that had happened the night before starting from when Hongjoong had come bursting into the tent asking about memory charms. Finally San began to understand the deeper connection that Hongjoong and Seonghwa shared.

***

Later that night San found Seonghwa standing at the edge of the shore, waves creeping towards him but never quite reaching his feet. Seonghwa was longingly looking out over the waves, lost in his own thoughts and still mildly overwhelmed from having to sort through his heavy past memories.

“You’ve finally begun to miss it, don’t you?” San asked quietly as he approached.

Seonghwa quickly turned to face him, giving a small questioning hum with a raise of his eyebrows as he snapped back to his senses.

“The sea, you miss it.” San repeated. “Yeosang told me about everything that happened; about your memories, about Hongjoong.”

“It’s suddenly like I’ve been exiled for a second time now that I actually remember what life was like before.” Seonghwa replied with a sigh. “But do not think that I regret my actions. They are what brought some of the most important people into my life, you being one of them.”

Seonghwa turned to San, gently placing his hand on his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, just looking over San before tightening his grip and pulling him in for a crushing hug.

“Thank you for staying with me all this time.” Seonghwa said quietly, gently pressing his cheek against the side of San’s head.

“You know I couldn't let you suffer alone.” San replied with a muffled laugh as he clung tightly onto him.

“And I’ll forever be appreciative of that.” Seonghwa sighed. “You made many of my years on land bearable. You made them some of the best years I knew.”

San gave a sarcastic huff as he pulled away. “That’s not saying much as your memory only went back five years.”

Seonghwa merely cracked an endearing smile as he playfully ruffled San’s hair.

“Come, let’s head back to camp. I hear that repairs are nearly complete and we will be setting sail soon. Apparently the other crew members are preparing a feast.” Seonghwa said cheerfully as he wrapped an arm around San’s shoulder and began leading him back towards the bonfires on the beach.

***

For two more days the crew worked tirelessly on the ship repairs until Mingi finally gave the final approval and they began to carefully re-load the ship. They had been stuck on the atoll for close to a week but amazingly it looked like they would be able to make it safely to the Northern Islands with the temporary repairs in place. The main deck may have still been a little precarious with missing planks here and there having been used to fix other parts of the ship, but at least the hull had been repaired well enough that they could stay afloat without taking on any water. It wasn’t pretty but it would have to make due.

When the other crew members caught on that they were starting to reload the ship, it was like a surge of excitement ran through the camp as everyone regained the confidence that they would finally make it to their destination.

The only issue they had was actually launching the ship.

“Let me help.” Seonghwa pleaded.

Hongjoong and Yeosang were not so sure.

“You’re so weak though. Would using your powers really be the best idea right now? I would hate for anymore harm to come to you because of the ship.” Hongjoong replied as Yeosang hovered nearby, shaking his head with his arms crossed in a disapproving manner.

“After properly shifting I’ve regained much of my energy. I might not be at full strength but I’m sure my powers will be strong enough to use for a short amount of time.” Seonghwa retorted. “Besides, what other option do you have? There is not enough manpower to get the ship back in the water by yourselves.”

“I don’t like it one bit… but he has a point.” Yeosang said with a defeated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in deep contemplation.

Hongjoong and Yeosang conversed together for several minutes, thoroughly weighing all their options before confronting Seonghwa.

“Alright, you can use your powers but just this once and only on the condition that Yeosang monitors you the entire time and if he determines you are becoming too weak you must stop immediately, understood?” Hongjoong instructed.

“Understood, Captain.” Seonghwa said, cracking a sly grin while confidently cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

***

“I can’t believe how hot it is.” Wooyoung whined as he and San worked on replacing the sails on the ship, precariously perched up on the cross-mast. 

Wooyoung had tied a bandana around his head to keep the sweat out of his eyes but it was already almost soaked completely through. He aggressively tried to wipe his brow with the back of his arm which only made things worse.

“You think you could do something about the weather?” Wooyoung said, turning to San who only responded with a blank stare. “You know like…” Wooyoung grimaced while doing exaggerated hand movements similar to Seonghwa.

“Oh yeah sure, let me get right on that.” San said in a sarcastic tone as he raised his arms straight above his head while he aggressively wiggled his fingers.

“What the hell are you doing?” Wooyoung said, looking over San’s ridiculous positioning.

“Controlling the weather, is it not working?” San replied in an equally sarcastic tone as he lowered his arms again.

Wooyoung just gave a huff and rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to know how magic works for you people?”

“Seonghwa can control the weather. I can’t. Like that.” San scoffed.

“Whatever.” Wooyoung grumbled as he got back to re-stringing the sail.

“Hey! Are you two idiots almost done up there!” Mingi yelled from the deck below.

San and Wooyoung exchanged mildly perturbed glances before they both began hurling a series of expletives down at Mingi in protest.

“Alright alright sheesh!” Mingi laughed. “We’re otherwise ready to set sail so you guys are the only thing holding us up!”

Wooyoung and San eagerly hastened their pace and in no time the repaired mainsail was ready to be unfurled.

Below deck Seonghwa and Hongjoong were cooped up in the navigation room, double checking their course to make sure there would be no more run-ins with more military ships as they limped their way to the Northern Islands.

“So what exactly do you plan to do once you get there?” Hongjoong asked.

“I’m going to find the sea witch from my—our past. They will know what to do and if my pendant can be fixed. I’m confident in that.” Seonghwa said in a determined tone. “If only I knew where to start looking.”

Seonghwa explained the nomadic and mysterious nature of the sea witch and how they would often change their name and occupation as it suited them to keep their true identity hidden from the humans. When he had left the Northern Islands years ago the witch had been working as a sort of fortune teller in the market under the name of Shun but he was sure they would have definitely changed their name at least once since then. The best he could hope for was that some of the old traders in the market would know where to find them.

“Well, if you need help searching for them I would be willing to help and I’m sure some of the other crew would be as well.” Hongjoong said.

At that moment Mingi came rushing into the room.

“Captain! The repairs are complete and we are ready to set sail!” Mingi said in an excited tone.

“Right! Jongho is already waiting at the helm. Give him the notice that we set sail immediately!” Hongjoong replied.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa quickly followed Mingi out of the room and made their way above deck. Yeosang was already there waiting for them and quickly took Seonghwa’s vitals to make sure he could keep a very close eye on his condition. After a nod from Yeosang, Seonghwa carefully made his way to the center of the deck. 

Taking several deep breaths, he tried to calm his mind. Intrusive thoughts kept weighing down his concentration, fearing for another outcome similar to what had gotten them stuck on the atoll in the first place but he knew he was stronger now, he was more powerful now. He knew he could do this simple task with the remainder of the energy he had regained from shifting. 

The crew had gone nearly silent around him, watching intently to see what was going to happen. San had tried to protest but Wooyoung held him back, explaining that they basically had no other options. San—much like Hongjoong and Yeosang—didn’t like the thought of Seonghwa putting himself at risk again but begrudgingly let him go forward with his plan.

Closing his eyes, Seonghwa focused on the sea levels, slowly moving his hands back and forth in front of him until the sea around them began to rise. He kept at this for a couple minutes until the once large beach they had made camp on was mostly underwater, the ship loosening from its sandy entrapment. 

Holding the tide in place he began to work on increasing the winds. They were strong but not strong enough to move the ship. Seonghwa cursed under his breath as he increased his powers.

“Seonghwa… easy does it…” Yeosang called cautiously from behind him, noticing Seonghwa was starting to show signs of fatigue.

“I’ve got this under control.” Seonghwa called back as the winds whipped around him.

He put nearly all his focus on the wind and within a minute it had increased nearly tenfold, almost to a hurricane force level. Many of the crew members scrambled to hold onto something so as not to be blown off their feet but it was just the right amount of wind they needed. There was a large lurch as the ship finally pulled away from the sand bar, sails straining intensely against their rigging. Within a couple minutes the ship had made it out of the shallows and back into the open waters to the cheers of the crew. Seonghwa immediately cut his powers and let out a relieved sigh, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. 

“Seonghwa, are you alright?” Yeosang asked, quickly approaching him and taking his vitals once more.

“Yes, I think I’ll be fine.” Seonghwa replied breathily. “I’m just a little out of breath but none the worse for wear.”

San had come sprinting across the deck to quickly confront them, hurling a barrage of questions at Seonghwa in concern for his physical condition. Seonghwa repeated incessantly that he was fine until Yeosang and San eventually backed off ever so slightly. However as part of his deal he was still ushered back below deck to rest just to be sure. 

Seonghwa slowly made his way back to the small, familiar cabin he had been calling home the past few months and lazily sat down on the small bed. It felt nice to be back on the ship, especially knowing their destination was so close. It wasn’t long before Hongjoong came to pay him a visit.

“This is finally it.” Seonghwa said with a wistful sigh, looking up at Hongjoong as he walked into the room.

“It finally is.” Hongjoong replied as he reached down and took hold of Seonghwa’s hand, tightly linking his fingers with Seonghwa’s.

A fond smile spread across Hongjoong’s face knowing that in several days’ time maybe he could finally repay Seonghwa’s kindness.


	15. Chapter 15

The final days aboard the ship were some of the most uneventful yet peaceful days they had during the entire journey. It might have taken slightly longer than expected to reach their destination as the ship had to limp it’s way towards the Northern port city while Seonghwa kept sneakily using his powers in short bursts and out of the public eye to ensure they didn’t encounter any rough waters, subsequently causing him to be consistently exhausted but this worn out Seonghwa was now considered the norm for him. 

San knew very well that he had been using his powers but also knew better than to say anything about it without bringing about another uncomfortable confrontation. As long as Seonghwa wasn’t going too far or being too obvious, San just let it slide.

For Hongjoong, being back on the ship was a welcome reprieve. The most gratifying thing was that the night terrors had finally stopped and it seemed like they weren’t going to be coming back. It was as if his mind no longer had the need to focus on the traumatic events now that he had confirmation that Seonghwa had been the one who saved him and that his life wouldn’t be in danger with him nearby. For the first time in years, Hongjoong got some of the best sleep of his life. It came as quite a shock to Wooyoung when Hongjoong slept past the crack of dawn multiple days in a row as he was always the last to go to bed and always the first to wake. It got to a point where Wooyoung even forced Yeosang to perform a physical on Hongjoong to make sure he hadn’t suddenly fallen ill. But Yeosang could find absolutely nothing wrong with him. In fact Yeosang discovered that Hongjoong’s blood pressure had decreased and his body held less tension in general. It was like Seonghwa’s existence had somehow managed to cure him of his anxieties and quelled his PTSD.

Hongjoong also became braver when it came to staying on deck. Now well-rested and with the safety net that was Seonghwa always within arm’s reach it was like nothing could stop him and the crew was quite surprised to find him on the rigging more than once over their final days. Any sign of rough waters still sent him cowering below deck but on clear days he was spending the majority of his time out on the deck, his pale skin finally feeling the prolonged kiss of the sun for the first time in years.

“Are we sure Hongjoong didn’t hit his head or something in that attack?” Mingi muttered to Jongho in passing when Hongjoong was spotted helping San to unfurl the sails early one morning.

“I think he’s finally lost it.” Jongho laughed. “But I like this new Hongjoong.”

Excitement began to mount as they finally spotted the outer islands that made up the large range of the Northern Islands. The main island and the final destination port was less than a day’s sail away. While exiting for most, it had also started to become rather bittersweet for several of the crew members. Evidently Hongjoong was dreading parting ways with Seonghwa but he had also promised to stay on land with him as long as it took to find a remedy for his illness. He knew the ship repairs would be able to buy him quite a lot of time but he still wondered if it would be enough.

Wooyoung had also become increasingly clingy around San knowing that their time together may be over soon enough. On the outside, San appeared mostly unaffected but in reality his mind was too conflicted about other things, mostly concerning Seonghwa, to realize that his time with the crew would eventually be coming to an end.

***

When they finally docked, Yeosang and Yunho were the first to disembark, Yeosang immediately going to seek out the closest healer he could find in an attempt to have Yunho’s injuries properly healed as quickly as possible.

Mingi and Jongho along with several other crew members had agreed to stay with the ship and oversee the extensive repairs.

The rest of the crew headed into the city to look for work or for a place to stay for their duration of time in the Northern Islands.

“I guess this is goodbye.” Wooyoung said solemnly as they stepped foot on the dock.

San whipped around to face him, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “What?! Why!?”

“San… I—we don’t tend to stay in one place very long. Once the ship is repaired and we find a new job we will leave for the next port.” Wooyoung explained as a pained expression spread over San’s face.

“But I don’t want you to go.” San said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Seonghwa was already halfway down the dock before he noticed San was no longer with him. He turned back around to see where he had gone.

“San? Aren’t you coming?” Seonghwa called, spotting him lingering back by the gangway.

“My offer still stands.” Wooyoung said. “Come join our crew.”

“But Seonghwa…” San replied, frantically looking between them both.

They had come too far. San knew he couldn’t just abandon Seonghwa now is his time of need. But he also didn’t want to leave Wooyoung and the rest of the crew who had become a sort of family to him. The choice to stay or go quickly started to overwhelm him. He had never had to make such a life-altering decision before. In an over dramatic act, he dropped to his knees in frustration, letting out a small cry as he did so. Seonghwa had seen what was unfolding and quickly doubled back to meet him.

“San what’s the matter?” Seonghwa asked in a concerned tone, crouching down beside him.

“I don’t know what to do!” San wailed.

Seonghwa looked up at Wooyoung with a pleading expression in hopes of finding some sort of answer. Wooyoung knew it wasn’t his place to dictate San’s wants and needs and didn’t know quite how to respond.

“I don’t want to leave you.” San muttered. “But I don’t want to leave Wooyoung either.”

“Oh.” Seonghwa replied with a raise of his eyebrows. “Well that’s not something you need to worry about right at this exact moment.”

San’s confusion over the situation began to mount.

“I overheard Mingi discussing the repairs with Hongjoong, they’ll be docked here for at least three or four weeks.” He continued.

“What?!” San gasped out, quickly standing back up as his cheeks burned bright red in embarrassment. “I thought you were leaving right now! Or at least really soon!”

“Oh, uh, no we’ll be here for a little while. Just not forever.” Wooyoung retorted, nervously running his fingers through his hair as he had not realized how his previous words could have been construed.

San gave Wooyoung a shift punch to the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry!” Wooyoung laughed, grabbing onto his shoulder and wincing slightly at how strong San’s punch had been.

Seonghwa, slowly got back to his feet, watching the two of them playfully bicker back and forth with a fond smile. “Come on the two of you, there’s an inn not too far from here. Hongjoong’s already gone ahead to set up the accommodations. We don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Seonghwa turned to head back towards the city. San gave Wooyoung’s earlobe a hard tug and pulled him forward as he diligently followed Seonghwa with a confident huff. Wooyoung stumbled along behind him, remaining bent over at an awkward angle due to San’s tight grip while loudly protesting for him to let go the entire way down the dock before San eventually obliged his pleas.

***

After everyone had settled into their new accommodations at the seaside inn and partaken in a large family-like meal to celebrate their arrival at their final destination, Seonghwa seemed increasingly uneasy and anxious as the hours ticked past. Once they had returned to their private rooms for the night, Seonghwa was quick to launch into his plan of attack to search for the sea witch with Hongjoong. The sun had long been set and Hongjoong urged him to take the night off and rest instead. They could easily come up with a plan for tomorrow and he would gather whoever he could to help in the morning. After much back and forth Seonghwa reluctantly agreed and Hongjoong lazily climbed in bed with him. Hongjoong had a wonderfully restful sleep but Seonghwa was the exact opposite and barely slept a wink, his mind refusing the shut off even past the point of exhaustion.

Come the first light of the morning, Hongjoong awoke and went about fulfilling his promise to gather those he could to help. Unfortunately for him, San and Wooyoung were the only ones capable of helping. But it was still better than nothing. Seonghwa went over his detailed plan; they were going to head to the market and see if anyone had any leads for them. San and Wooyoung would cover the outdoor portion of the market in search of any signs of magic users hidden amongst the human shopkeepers while Seonghwa and Hongjoong were going straight to the heart of the supernatural market to see if they get any leads there.

While Seonghwa was originally from the Northern Islands, San had actually never been there before, at least not that he could remember and not of his own free will. Everything was new and exciting for him as it appeared that magic use and supernatural beings were twice as prevalent from where they had previously lived which in itself was known for a high number of magic users. San and Wooyoung had spent so long searching for any signs of the sea witch that it began to seem as if they were just aimlessly wandering the large outdoor marketplace. 

As they weaved in between the stalls, every now and then something would catch San’s eye and he would excitedly hover over whatever contents lay out before him. One particular brick and mortar storefront drew him in and he quickly pulled Wooyoung over to a large table covered in jars.

“Look!” San said excitedly. “Mermaid scales!”

Wooyoung picked up one of the jars and gave it a light shake, dozens of small green scales shimmered in the dim light of the shop.

“There’s so many different kinds!” San exclaimed, eyeing over the jars. “Look, these are just like Seonghwa’s!”

San pointed to a couple jars containing dark black scales.

“No so loud.” Wooyoung hissed, looking over his shoulder at the old shopkeeper who was watching them intently.

“Right.” San lowered his voice.

Wooyoung curiously looked at the black scales. Even though he had witnessed Seonghwa’s partial shift after the attack and knew his scales were not the same as San’s, these scales looked much different up close from what he had expected since San had such contrastingly bright and iridescent scales.

San had gone wandering off towards the back of the store when suddenly he let out a loud cry and went tumbling back onto the floor.

“San!” Wooyoung cried out as he quickly rushed to his side. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

San ducked his head and shakily pointed to something hanging from the ceiling. Wooyoung looked up to whatever San was pointing at and his stomach gave a horrible lurch at what he saw. There, hanging above them, suspended by small metal hooks was the large, haggard skeleton of a mermaid. San had slowly curled into a ball at Wooyoung’s feet in an attempt to hide his emotions.

“Yer friend scared of merfolk?” The shopkeeper chuckled. “Don’t blame ‘im, they a nasty lot.”

“Shh it’s okay San.” Wooyoung said, calmly rubbing San’s back as he took several shuddered breaths.

“Sirens are the worst of ‘em.” The shopkeeper continued. “They’ll lure ye in with their pretty voices and then rip out your liver and consume it right in front of you for fun. Buncha foul creatures if you ask me.”

“Stop.” Wooyoung said coldly, getting back to his feet. “Can’t you see he’s upset?”

“What? You can’t take the truth?” The shopkeeper scoffed. “You foreign sailors are all the same: weak.”

“I said stop.” Wooyoung growled as he crowded into the shopkeeper’s personal space.

“Why’d you defend a monster? I bet given the opportunity you’d be a siren fucker.” The shopkeeper scoffed.

Wooyoung didn’t even respond but instead decked the shopkeeper straight across the face, sending him flying back against the wall and knocking down several items from their shelves in the process.

“San, let’s go!” Wooyoung hissed as he turned and grabbed onto San’s arm, roughly pulling him to his feet but San instead wrenched his arm free of Wooyoung’s grasp.

“Why did you do that?” San asked quietly, looking back at the shopkeeper splayed on the ground.

“Because he disrespected you.” Wooyoung said in a low whisper. “He literally has the corpse of one of your people hung up as some sort of attraction.”

San just nodded before stalking towards the shopkeeper who had made no attempt to right himself and remained on the floor groaning in pain. As San leaned down in front of him, Wooyoung suddenly saw a new side of San.

“I don’t want you uttering another demeaning word about merfolk ever again.” San’s voice was cold and had an odd tone about it. “You will never take advantage and profit off of the misfortune of my people while spouting such foul nonsense, understand?”

The shopkeeper gave him a bit of a stunned nod.

“Now you will forget me and my companion were ever here.” San continued as the shopkeeper lazily nodded once more. “Good.”

San got to his feet and approached Wooyoung. “Let’s go.”

“Did you just use your—”

“Yep.” San said curtly, cutting off Wooyoung as he grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him out of the shop behind him.

On the other side of the market Hongjoong and Seonghwa were not having much luck in their search either. In the years that Seonghwa had been gone, so much had changed and many of the normal shopkeepers were long gone. Still, he went from stall to stall inquiring if anyone knew of a powerful sea witch in the area formerly known as Shun and every time he was met with confused expressions and head shakes.

“Do you think it’s a good idea asking this many people?” Hongjoong asked as they went. “What if we end up drawing too much attention?”

“What other option do I have?” Seonghwa replied with a sigh.

Hongjoong knew he was right. They had to employ every method of searching, even if it may make those in the market vaguely suspicious of their intentions. As long as they didn’t end up spooking the sea witch, they had to keep pressing for information.

After hours of searching Seonghwa was starting to feel defeated and Hongjoong could tell he was reaching his wit’s end. They stopped on the bank of a small river that ran through the center of the city and Seonghwa threw himself down on the ground with an exhausted sigh.

“Are you doing okay? Do we need to take a break?” Hongjoong asked, sitting down beside him.

“I’ll be fine I… I don’t know, I had hoped that this would somehow be easier.” Seonghwa sighed, picking up a small stone and tossing it into the waters far below.

“It’s only been a few hours, I’m sure we will come across some sign of them eventually.” Hongjoong tried to reassure him. “We just need to keep searching. Even if it takes searching day after day, I’m sure we will eventually find them.”

“Yes but I do not know how much time I have left.” Seonghwa replied, bowing his head in disappointment.

Hongjoong knew that trying to find the sea witch in a city this large would be like finding a needle in a haystack and could easily take weeks. But he also knew that Seonghwa didn’t have weeks as he would eventually need to shift again and once again be subject to the excruciating side-effects of the flesh curse. Hongjoong wanted to hold out hope but he had to admit, it was all a little overwhelming.

The two of them ended up staying on the bank of the river much longer than either had anticipated. Hongjoong had leaned his head gently against Seonghwa’s shoulder as they started out over the water as the sun began to sink behind the mountains surrounding the coastal city. Fireflies began to emerge from the long river grass and swirled around them, one even landing on Hongjoong’s outstretched hand. It cautiously navigated his fingers before flying off and joining the others. Across the river, lanterns were slowly being lit, providing a warm and inviting glow from the rows of small shops and buildings.

Seonghwa’s stomach let out a loud growl and Hongjoong quickly sat bolt upright as Seonghwa slowly curled in on himself in mild embarrassment.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was getting, you must be starving.” Hongjoong blurted out as both of them realized they hadn’t eaten all day.

“Maybe it would be best to call it a day, find some food, come up with a better plan for tomorrow.” Seonghwa replied, giving an exaggerated stretch, his joints aching from sitting on the hard ground for so long.

“Why don’t we stay here just a little bit longer.” Hongjoong suggested. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Hongjoong clambered to his feet and shuffled off down a nearby alley, following his nose as the enticing scent of grilled squid wafted through the air. It wasn’t long before he stumbled upon the small shop selling the delicious smelling food. He pulled out the small amount of money he had left in his pocket and hesitantly counted it. It wasn’t much but he was at least able to buy a couple grilled squids and some other skewered vegetables before he quickly made his way back to the river, passing the piping hot food frantically between his hands as he went so as not to burn himself.

“Here.” Hongjoong stated proudly, passing a grilled squid wrapped in paper to Seonghwa who eagerly accepted it.

“Hmm this smells absolutely delicious.” Seonghwa mumbled, his mouth salivating as he unwrapped the squid and took a deep whiff.

“Reminds me of our first meeting.” Hongjoong said, taking a bit of his squid. “I can’t believe that was the first time you had ever had grilled fish.”

Seonghwa gave a gentle laugh at the thought. They both remained silent for some time as they devoured their food, savoring the flavour of the seafood and vegetables and finally having their growing hunger satiated. Once finished, Hongjoong gave a satisfied stretch, splaying himself over Seonghwa’s lap as they continued to watch the sunset and fireflies, a feeling of ease coming over the both of them.

“I wish we could stay like this.” Hongjoong commented with a smile.

“The last time you even thought about that we were ripped apart for a decade.” Seonghwa playfully retorted.

“Yeah but now—as soon as we get you healed up—now maybe this actually could become a reality.” Hongjoong said with a hopeful tone.

“I would very much like for that to happen.” Seonghwa replied in a quiet tone, gently twirling Hongjoong’s hair between his fingers.

Once it had become dark, they finally decided it was time to call it for the day. Carefully Seonghwa helped Hongjoong to his feet and they began to head back down the river to where their inn was located.

This soon became their daily routine; search the city by day looking for any sign of the sea witch and then rest on the bank of the river as dusk became twilight. After a couple days they had begun to hear murmurings about the whereabouts of the witch but still nothing concrete that they could use to locate them. Seonghwa was becoming more and more desperate with every passing day but at least their daily respite down by the river gave his mind a couple hours to just focus on other things, to focus on nothing in particular except the companionship Hongjoong provided.

It was their third night after searching and they had decided to head back to the inn early as a chill began to hang in the air. They hadn’t made it very far down the river when suddenly something caught Hongjoong’s eye. Crossing a nearby bridge was a very tall individual carrying a large basket of items, their long robes flowing behind them as they walked giving them a rather ethereal look about them under the glow of the lantern they were carrying. Except the closer he looked, the more he realized that it wasn’t a lantern at all, it was a series of small orbs of light softly floating around them, projecting their glow on the figure and the path in front of them. Hongjoong stopped dead in his tracks, not being able to take his eyes off the intriguing individual. He was dumbstruck, not being able to say anything for a moment other than some nonsense babbling as he blindly reached out for Seonghwa, eventually snagging his shirt sleeve with his fingers and pulling him back.

“What is it?” Seonghwa asked, mildly concerned at how oddly Hongjoong was suddenly acting.

Hongjoong couldn’t find the words to speak and merely pointed at the mysterious figure crossing the bridge. Seonghwa followed the direction Hongjoong indicated and when he too saw the figure it was like a wave of energy travelled through his entire body.

“It’s them!” Seonghwa gasped in shock.

It took a moment for him to fully come back to his senses and he quickly grabbed onto Hongjoong as he made chase after the figure who had just disappeared down a nearby alley across the river. They ran to the bridge and as soon as they crossed it, began frantically searching the nearby alleys for where the figure might have gone. It wasn’t long before they came across a long dark alley just off the main road by the river. At the end was what looked like a large, rundown bath house hidden behind several ancient-looking trees. But several of the small light orbs momentarily danced around the entrance before quickly fading and disappearing from sight. There was no doubt that this had to be the place but Seonghwa had to be sure.

Seonghwa quickly stopped a merchant passing by on the main road.

“Excuse me, what can you tell me about the bath house over there?” Seonghwa pleaded, nearly startling the woman who was carrying bushels of flowers in her arms.

The flower merchant looked at the dark and ominous building down the small, overgrown alley and then back to Seonghwa with a concerned expression.

“I wouldn’t be inquiring about that place.” The woman said. “I hear it’s a place where the supernatural gather.”

“The supernatural?” Hongjoong asked.

The woman nodded. “Rumour has it that it’s run by a sea witch.”

Both Seonghwa’s and Hongjoong’s hearts leapt in their chests at the merchant’s words.

“I would definitely stay away.” The woman warned before scurrying off down the road.

“It has to be them!” Seonghwa hissed. “We both saw them with our own eyes, this has to be the place.”

Seonghwa took off down the alley and Hongjoong struggled to keep up with his frantic pace. When they reached the large wooden doors of the bath house all of the lights save one on an upper floor had been extinguished which did not exactly give the old building the most inviting appearance. Seonghwa paid no mind though and tried the door anyways. Discovering that it was locked he cursed under his breath, pounding on the door in hopes of any sort of response.

“Hello?! Is anyone there?” Seonghwa called. “Please, it’s urgent!”

Seonghwa was persistent and eventually the soft glow of a lantern inside could be seen moving about as someone approached the door. It unlocked with a loud click and opened a crack but the figure on the other side was not who Seonghwa was expecting. It was not the sea witch but instead a young woman.

“Sir, we are closed for the evening. If you are in need of a herbal remedy you will need to come back in the morning.” She said in a tired voice, looking Seonghwa up and down with an irritated frown.

“Please, is this place run by the sea witch Shun?” Seognhwa begged.

“Shun?” The girl said quizzically. “They have not gone by that name in nearly a decade.”

“So they do work here?” Seonghwa said, looking up at the high windows above him as if searching for any sign of them.

“Yes, but like I said you will have to come back in the morning. It is past normal operating hours and they are tied up with other matters right now.” She replied in a curt tone.

Seonghwa knew it was probably useless barging in so late at night lest he end up with another curse from an angry witch and reluctantly backed away. The woman quickly closed the door in his face and locked it once more.

“So they’re really here? In a bath house of places?” Hongjoong said as Seonghwa walked back to him.

Seonghwa gave a confident nod. “We will come back in the morning.”

Seonghwa pulled Hongjoong into a tight hug. “I can’t believe you found them. Thank you.”

“It was just dumb luck.” Hongjoong said with a laugh, struggling a little in Seonghwa’s crushing embrace.

When they finally arrived back at the inn that night, they found San in a miserable mood from yet another unsavory incident that had occurred in the marketplace. This time not even Wooyoung had been able to calm him down. Seonghwa ended up expending the last of his mental energy listening to and quelling his fears and concerns before sending him off to sleep, assuring him that he would not be required to go back out in the market again for his own safety. Seonghwa didn’t have the capacity to explain the major breakthrough they had in tracking down the sea witch and knew it would be best to wait until the morning. He departed their room and sluggishly dragged his tired body up the steps of the inn to the room he was sharing with Hongjoong.

When he arrived, he found Hongjoong already deep asleep, having passed out the moment his body hit the bedding, one of his boots still hanging off his foot. Seonghwa gave a bit of a small laugh as he pulled off Hongjoong’s other boot and gently covered him with one of the heavy knit blankets before climbing under the covers himself. Hongjoong gave a small hum as he instinctively wormed himself closer to Seonghwa.

That night Seonghwa was barely able to sleep once again due to a combination of nerves and anxious anticipation of what the morning might bring. Part way through the night Hongjoong had been unintentionally awoken from his sleep by Seonghwa’s constant tossing and turning. He could feel how restless Seonghwa was but he did not know how exactly to help. It had always been someone else to comfort him during his own night terrors and never the other way around. Every now and then Seonghwa would let out what sounded like a frightened whine before half-waking with a startle and then falling back asleep again. Hongjoong tried his best to provide some sort of physical comfort, pressing himself tightly up against him and wrapping his arms around him in hopes that the proximity would put him at ease but it didn't seem to make much difference as any sort of restriction seemed to merely throw Seonghwa’s body into some sort of panic and he would struggle himself free. 

It wasn’t long before Hongjoong’s exhaustion overcame him and he fell back deep asleep… but only after instinctively moving all of his bedding to the floor in an attempt to find comfort himself in putting some distance between them.

***

In the morning Seonghwa woke at the first sign of daylight. Finding Hongjoong asleep on the floor caused his heart to sink, knowing very well that he was most likely the cause for Hongjoong’s migration. Hongjoong deserved rest, but not like this.

Seonghwa struggled to pull himself out of the bed without disturbing Hongjoong. Carefully he leaned down, wrapping Hongjoong in his blankets and picking him up, placing him back on the bed. Hongjoong stirred slightly and let out a small groan in protest.

“It’s just me.” Seonghwa said in a calm whisper while petting over Hongjoong’s hair. “I’m sorry for interrupting your sleep, just rest for now. I will be back in a little while.”

Seonghwa left the room and quietly made his way downstairs to the room San and Wooyoung were sharing. They were surprisingly already awake and he was finally able to relay the good news from the night before informing San that both he and Hongjoong would be setting out for the bath house later that morning. 

“I’m coming with you.” San said confidently.

“No, you and Wooyoung should stay here.” Seonghwa replied calmly.

“Seonghwa I refuse to let you go alone.” San retorted, looping his knife sheath to his belt and pulling the strap tightly in an over-exaggerated manner.

“I won’t be alone, Hongjoong will be with me and we will be asking Yeosang to come with us.” Seonghwa explained.

“If San’s going, I’m going.” Wooyoung piped up, having overheard their entire conversation.

It became quickly apparent that neither San or Wooyoung were going to accept ‘no’ as an answer. With a defeated sigh, Seonghwa reluctantly agreed to let them join Hongjoong and himself. They were amassing quite the little gang but there was still one more member they needed to collect: Yeosang.

After waking Hongjoong and gathering everyone in the lobby of the inn they set out on their quest, making a stop at the nearby healer where Yeosang and Yunho had been cooped up. Seonghwa was quite discouraged to see that the healer, while they had worked near miracles on Yunho to the point where he would be able to be up and back to his normal self in a couple days, had not been able to rid Yeosang of the remnants of the flesh curse. Yeosang still donned the large leather eye patch.

“They said the curse was too deep-seeded.” Yeosang explained. “Unfortunately there is nothing the healer can do other than let the curse run its course.” 

“Yeosang, I want you to come with us to visit the sea witch.” Seonghwa stated, making it much more of a request than a choice.

“No, it’s fine.” Yeosang rebutted. “I should stay here with Yunho.”

“I’m fine!” Yunho quipped. “In three days time I should almost be back to normal. You heard what the healer said, sure I might be in a sling for a bit but I’ll be otherwise fine! I don’t need you babysitting me anymore.”

Yeosang shot Yunho with a warning glare. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be rid of the curse, he was having trouble admitting to himself that he was absolutely terrified of this alleged sea witch and what exactly they were capable of. He had seen firsthand their extensive memory charms, not to mention they had the ability to charge a merman to a human. It was a little intimidating and completely overwhelming for him. Yeosang nervously wrung his hands in contemplation, shaking slightly in the process.

“Yeosang go!” Yunho barked, throwing the small pillow from his bed at him.

Seonghwa assured him that the witch would be the best person to see about the curse and that Yeosang deserved to have it treated for all that he had done for him. Yeosang really did not want to leave Yunho and confront this otherworldly being but after several more curt quips from Yunho to just let him sleep and do something for himself for once, Yeosang was finally convinced to take the opportunity.

Yeosang packed up his bag and hesitantly joined the others outside as they continued on their way. The closer they got to their destination, the more excited many of the others started to become but Yeosang just couldn’t shake the feeling of apprehension he had about everything. As they approached the bath house and made their way down the shady alleyway Yeosang noticed a small shrine set up outside the main entrance, located under one of the particularly ancient-looking trees sort of tucked away with strange characters written above it.

“Um, Seonghwa?” Yeosang asked, stopping to look at the shrine.

Seonghwa paused and turned back to face him with a curious hum as the others continued down the alley.

“What did you say the last known name of this sea witch was?” Yeosang asked, bending down to take a closer look at the small shrine.

“I believe it was Shun, why?” Seonghwa asked, walking over to see what Yeosang was looking at.

“Interesting.” Yeosang muttered to himself.

“What is it?” Seonghwa pressed. “Please if you have any insight—”

“No, no it’s just a weird feeling.” Yeosang said, quickly trying to ease Seonghwa’s mind. “I can’t be 100% sure but I think this person you came to know might be a lot more than just a common sea witch.”

“You could very well be right. But they’re the only option I have right now.” Seonghwa said, almost as if he was brushing off Yeosang’s comment, his mind focussed solely on the task at hand.

Yeosang just gave another anxious sigh as Seonghwa ran up to the front door of the bath house. Seonghwa was pleasantly surprised to find that it was unlocked. Rushing inside he was greeted once more by the woman from the night before as the others filed in behind him, crowding the small entranceway.

“Oh. You’re that person from last night, aren’t you.” The woman said in a dry tone. “And you brought  _ others _ with you.”

“Yes, please it’s urgent that I speak with the witch.” Seonghwa begged.

“You’re lucky that they don’t have any appointments this morning.” She replied with a sigh. “I will notify them that you are here. What name can I give?”

“Seonghwa.”

The woman stared at Seonghwa for a moment as if the name resonated with her in some way before looking over each of the others in his party. She quickly ushered them into a side room that appeared much different than the interior of a normal bath house. The room looked more like an old sitting room and contained several plush chairs. Three of the walls were lined in hundreds of ancient-looking books while every table and shelf seemed to be filled with a variety of magical knickknacks. 

“Please wait here. They will be with you shortly.” She said before disappearing into a back room.

Seonghwa and the others nervously waited in the room, every second feeling like an eternity and Seonghwa’s anxieties and fears quickly bubbling up inside of him. What had only been fifteen minutes, felt like a decade but the sea witch finally made their appearance. San let out an audible gasp, having been stunned by the witch’s intimidating and powerful presence as they calmly strode into the room wearing long embellished robes.

“Seonghwa? Well isn’t this quite the pleasant surprise. It has been so long since I last saw you, my sweet boy.” The sea witch said with a fond smile. “And what’s this? You brought friends with you. Now isn’t this a fun little gang of misfits.”

Before Seonghwa or any of the others could even utter a word, the witch had waved their hand and they found that they could no longer speak nor move from where they stood.

“Worry not, this is merely a formality. You will be released soon enough.” The witch said with a warm smile. “Now, let me have a good look at each of you.”

Yeosang’s heart was beating in his ears as the witch approached him first, circling him almost as if they were some sort of predator circling their prey. A lump had formed in Yeosang’s throat and he was almost glad he couldn’t speak for fear of not being able to find his voice even if he could.

“Now aren’t you just the cutest thing.” The witch cooed, tilting Yeosang’s chin up delicately with their pointer finger to look them in the eyes. “A little healer… but what’s this?” They ran their fingers gently over the eye patch. “That is quite the nasty curse you’ve got there. Looks like somebody has been dabbling in the black arts where they don’t belong. Why don’t we remove it, hmm?”

In a brief moment of contemplation the witch placed the palm of their hand flat against the center of Yeosang’s chest and muttered something quietly under their breath. The force of whatever magic the witch had unleashed was as strong as if Yeosang had just had the wind knocked out of him. With a snap of their fingers, the witch released their previous enchantments and Yeosang dropped to his knees with a loud gasp.

“Wh-what did you do to me?” Yeosang blurted out, breathing heavily as the spot where the witch had touched him burned hot on his chest.

“Exactly as I said, I got rid of that nasty flesh curse for you. And that horrible revenge curse that was most likely hindering your magic abilities.” The witch said calmly while pulling a small mirror off a nearby table and crouching down to place it in front of Yeosang.

Yeosang hesitantly looked between the witch and the mirror. Slowly he reached up and untied the straps of his eye patch, carefully removing it. It took a few seconds for his eye to adjust to the dim light of the room but when he looked at his reflection not only could he see clearly again with both eyes, but the birthmarks on his face had all but faded to become mere shadows of themselves. He looked up at the witch’s smiling visage in disbelief.

“Is this… real?” Yeosang asked, feeling the tingling of magic having returned to his fingertips. “I don’t know what I could ever give you to repay you for this?”

The witch shook their head. “You’ve sacrificed enough, you deserve it. Especially when we know that flesh curse was not originally yours to bear.” They gave Yeosang a small wink.

“Th-thank you.” Yeosang said quietly while tears welled in his eyes.

The witch gently ran their thumb over the shadowy marks where Yeosang’s birthmarks were while fondly smiling at him.

“But wait…” Yeosang began to say, his eyebrows knitting together in deep contemplation.

The witch curiously tilted their head.

“Seonghwa said you were a sea witch but there’s no way a mere witch could—”

“Ah ah!” The witch said, cutting Yeosang off and snapping their fingers to place the silencing spell over him once more. “That’s enough from you right now.”

The witch gave Yeosang a small pat on the head as they slowly got back to their feet and approached Seonghwa.

“Ah, my dearest Seonghwa.” The witch said as they looked him over. “It looks like you were the one who got themselves a flesh curse that our faithful little healer over here took on. Better clear the remnants of that up for you as well.” 

With a flick of their wrist, the last lingering effects of the flesh curse had been removed from Seonghwa’s body but the witch did not seem satisfied. Seonghwa’s heart was racing as the sea witch looked him over, knowing full well that they were about to discover the root of the problem.

“There is something else…” They said in a puzzled tone, their eyes falling to the cracked crystal hanging from the chain around Seonghwa’s neck. “Oh my, that is not good.”

The witch carefully lifted the pendant up to take a closer look at the large crack. They gently turned it over in their hands while making a disapproving clicking noise with their tongue. Seonghwa’s emotions were quickly overcoming him. If he hadn’t been under the witch’s enchantment his legs would have surely given out beneath him in that very moment. He had wanted to remain strong in the face of the witch but even the thought of merely disappointing them with his own carelessness had caused him to become choked up and he was desperately trying to hold back his tears. He couldn’t help it. He was scared.

“You poor boy, this must be causing you a world of pain.” The witch lamented. “But whatever happened to the spare that I gave you?”

The witch’s eyes immediately flitted to San and they moved on from Seonghwa completely, leaving the enchantments on him still in place.

“You.” They said warmly, taking San’s face gently in their hands. “ _ You _ now possess my other crystal.”

The witch paced around San much like they had done to Yeosang but this time their gaze was much less kind than before.

“A merman as well… not just that but a siren? How intriguing. Now what would have possessed him to give you the second crystal? Perhaps you bewitched him with your siren’s song? Was he perhaps so lonely that he begged for companionship?” The witch’s voice trailed off as he looked suggestively between the two of them.

“Hmmm, how did this come about? You may speak.” The witch lifted the enchantments on San.

“He… he rescued me from human captivity.” San replied in a quiet voice, grabbing tightly onto his own pendant.

“How noble of him.” The witch replied with a raised eyebrow. “But how incredibly stupid.” He continued, craning his neck to briefly face Seonghwa who quickly pressed his eyes closed so as not to make eye contact. “You never learn, do you my dear bleeding-heart Seonghwa? Unfortunately this is not going to be a simple fix.”

As Seonghwa took in a deep, shuddered breath, the witch moved onto Hongjoong.

“Now what do we have here?” They said as their interest appeared to be piqued. “Seonghwa what have you brought me? Is this? No… it can’t be. But it is; the boy from the shipwreck.”

The witch intently looked Hongjoong over.

“My memory charm has been removed? Interesting.” The witch said slyly, looking briefly over at Yeosang.

Yeosang’s eyes went wide in fear, still not being able to speak. He had no hand in Hongjoong’s memory charm, Hongjoong had broken that himself but he feared the repercussions if the witch felt he had somehow crossed them.

“It looks like destiny has brought the two of you together again despite my efforts.” The witch said with a smug smile. “But to be expected, a human with mermaid lineage always ends up drawn to the sea and those born of it no matter how difficult that may be.”

The witch dropped the enchantments on Hongjoong.

“Excuse me, a human with what?!” Hongjoong sputtered out, not entirely sure he had heard the witch correctly.

“Mermaid lineage.” The witch repeated casually. “Not directly maternal, but someone in your family, maybe a grandmother or a great-grandmother was born of the sea. The imprint is faint but it’s there. Why else would Seonghwa have been given leniency to accept exile over death? You, dear boy, should not even exist based on the laws of the sea. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of my siblings had some sort of hand in this. Come to think of it, my brother did have a particularly soft spot for humans, going so far as to name himself  _ Eden _ . How pretentious. But here we are and my hands are tied.”

Hongjoong was speechless. He didn’t even know how to process the information he had just received. It was all so incredibly sudden he barely had time to connect the dots.

“Wait, did you say their name was Eden?!” Hongjoong blurted out.

“That is correct.”

“He was a magic user who worked for my father! He was the one who sent Seonghwa to me!”

“Of _ course _ he was.” The witch said with a lazy roll of their eyes. “Next time you see him you’ll have to thank him for allowing you to exist.” The witch gave Hongjoong a playful flick on the nose.

Hongjoong was rendered entirely speechless once more. Even San who was standing next to him was staring at him with his mouth slightly agape in shock at the news that Hongjoong had merman genes.

Finally the witch approached Wooyoung. They stopped in front of him and crossed their arms, looking at him with almost a disappointed expression.

“It appears you are the only normal one of the bunch. Humans, how utterly boring.” The witch said dismissively as they lifted the enchanted on him as well and Wooyoung gave a bit of an offended huff in protest.

The witch casually went and sat in one of the plush chairs, nonchalantly crossing their legs and rearranging how their robes hung around them as they did so. They then casually lifted the remaining enchantments on Seonghwa with a wave of their hand and he immediately crumpled to his knees, Hongjoong quickly dropping down beside him to comfort him.

“So, what is it you’ve come here for?” The witch asked in a casual tone.

Everyone looked to Seonghwa but he remained silent, his head hung low as if he was trying his best to hold himself together.

“It’s Seonghwa’s pendant.” Hongjoong said, speaking for him. “Is there nothing you can do to fix it?”

“It is quite the predicament indeed but it can’t just be fixed with a snap of my fingers. Seonghwa foolishly gave away his second lifeline and I do not possess anything that can replace it. Unfortunately he will have to live with those consequences as the crystals’ powers come from something much more powerful than I.” The sea witch said with a sigh. “While I can undo spells and curses laid by human magic users, this is a much older magic that I do not have direct access to.”

Yeosang was struggling to say something, anything, and his frustrated hand motions eventually caught the eye of the witch.

“Yes, yes what it is?” The witch said in an annoyed tone, finally deciding to humor him by removing the silencing enchantment.

“But you’re a god!” Yeosang blurted out, finally able to speak again.

Everyone turned and looked at Yeosang in surprise and Yeosang’s anxiety immediately skyrocketed, his cheeks burning bright red in the process.

“They’re a  _ god _ ?!” Hongjoong gasped in disbelief.

“Everyone saw how quickly you silenced me when I tried to question you before.” Yeosang said, making an exaggerated gulp as he gathered the words to speak. “There is no way a mere sea witch could reverse a revenge-based curse as deeply rooted as mine with a simple incantation. I saw the shrine outside, you're one of the four Dragon Kings, ruler of the seas. You’re the black dragon, aren’t you?”

The sea witch gave a hearty laugh. “You would be correct, but I am not all-powerful like the gods from your storybooks. I am merely a lesser god in charge of the Northern Seas and my powers can only do so much.”

The witch carefully gathered their thoughts on the matter of Seonghwa.

“The best I can see is that he has two options.” The witch began. “The first would be to return permanently to his merman form which, due to his exile, would make him trapped in whatever inland body of water you decide to dump him in for the remainder of his days. The second would be to carry on as-is and suffer the pain of a shift every month.”

“But he’s dying!” San cried in a tiny voice as Seonghwa hung his head lower, a couple tears dropping onto his pants. “I’ve seen the grey scales, there’s more of them every time he shifts now.”

“Unfortunate indeed.” The witch said with a melancholy sigh. “He probably does not have long left then, maybe a year or two at most if he keeps on like this.”

“He’s already sacrificed so much though! He gave up his spare crystal to save San from a life of captivity, he sacrificed his health to take on a curse not meant for him, he gave up his entire life in the sea to spare my life… isn’t there something you could do?” Hongjoong pleaded.

Seonghwa had completely doubled over, pressing his head and hands against the floor in a grovelling expression, his shoulders shaking slightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. The witch just looked over his pitiful form with disdain.

“I will give up my crystal for him.” San interjected. “I will return to the sea for good!”

“San, no!” Wooyoung hissed.

The witch just shook their head. “Unfortunately that won’t do as your crystal will only grant its powers to you as you were the one to make the blood contract with it.”

San quickly shrunk back again.

“No. No more sacrifices. I don’t want  _ anyone _ to sacrifice anything more for me.” Seonghwa said quietly. “If it cannot be fixed without someone else suffering, I do not want it to be fixed.”

“Seonghwa…” San said quietly.

“We can’t just let you suffer like this between any more shifts… it will kill you.” Hongjoong said in a sad and worrisome tone.

“Then I will no longer shift.” Seonghwa replied confidently, finally righting himself and wiping the tears from his eyes. “I will abandon my life on land.”

A deafening silence fell over the room as the others all turned to him. Nobody could believe what they were hearing, that he was so willing to give up the life he had made for himself over the past decade.

“A wise choice.” The witch interjected as they got up and headed to a nearby bookshelf, pulling a large, ancient-looking text from the shelf.

Hongjoong was desperately trying to comfort Seonghwa as the others watched intently as the witch flipped through the pages, looking for something in particular.

“Grey scales, that’s what you said wasn’t it?” The witch said looking up at San.

“Yes.” San explained calmly, eyes flitting between the now stoic Seonghwa and the witch. “More and more have been appearing. It all started after he exhausted his powers trying to save us all from an attack from a military vessel.”

The witch gave an inquisitive hum, having stopped on a page that seemed to have what they were looking for.

“While I cannot repair the crystal, if Seonghwa was to go through with permanently staying in his merman form there might actually be something I can help with.” The witch said, giving their chin a stroke as they pondered things. “But it will require the help of the mixed-blood.”

Hongjoong looked at the sea witch and pointed at himself with a look of disbelief. “Me?”

“Yes.” The witch replied. “We will enact the merman genes within you and use some of that energy to help heal dear Seonghwa here.”

“Wait can’t I help? I’m full-blooded!” San interjected.

The witch shook their head. “We need someone who has not been touched by the crystals’ power. But I’m sure Seonghwa appreciates your generosity.”

“After I witnessed what happened to Yeosang when he attempted an energy transfer to rid me of the effects of the flesh curse, won’t this pose a threat to Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asked.

The witch shook their head once more. “No, he should be completely fine during the spell other than maybe feeling a little drowsy during the healing process afterwards.”

“But what exactly does this spell entail?” Yeosang asked. “It can’t just be a simple energy transfer. That would only be a temporary fix.”

The sea witch sighed at Yeosang’s inquisitive nature. “I will be performing an ancient merfolk bonding ritual that was commonly used by Seonghwa’s lineage in the past, allowing members of their pod to live extended lifetimes. After invoking Hongjoong’s merman side, their two life forces will be bonded together. As long as Hongjoong here is alive and healthy, so will Seonghwa be.”

“So what would happen if, or when either of them dies?” Yeosang continued to press.

“The other would probably not have long in this world.” The witch replied casually.

A silence quickly fell over them.

“Hongjoong this seems too risky.” Wooyoung hissed.

“No, I will do it. I owe Seonghwa as much as he is the only reason I’m alive right now in the first place.”

Seonghwa whipped his head to the side to look at Hongjoong with a devastating expression.

“So will you agree to do it?” The witch asked.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong exchanged glances before both committing.

“The only caveat is, once the ritual is complete I will allow Seonghwa to shift back into his human form one last time as you decide on his final living arrangements, but if you were to shift back to your human form again at any point afterwards the grey scales  _ will _ start appearing once more. I will not be able to stop them from spreading and it would put both your lives at immediate risk, understood?.”

Seonghwa nodded. “I accept it. I won’t dare shift again for Hongjoong’s sake.”

In an instant the witch called for several bath house attendants and they quickly whisked Hongjoong and Seonghwa up and away to the back of the bath house in preparation for the ritual. The remaining three in the group were left wondering what exactly would end up happening to their friends. After several minutes of discussion between themselves, they were prepared to leave and wait for news of the others the next day but Wooyoung hesitated as he still had unanswered questions.

“Wait, before we go, I have a question…” Wooyoung spoke up.

The witch just raised their eyebrow as they turned to face him.

“How come Seonghwa was exiled but San’s free to do whatever he pleases? He’s a merman too, and I’m a human so…”

“A valid question.” The witch said with a sigh. “Sirens aren’t governed by the same rules that other merfolk are with regard to humans. In fact, they quite relish interacting with humans, luring them in with their enchanting songs just to drown them and feast on their innards. They never imposed any self-governing laws as most humans they come in contact with don’t live to tell the tale anyways.”

Wooyoung gave a nervous gulp as San awkwardly looked at the floor.

“But your friend here seems to denounce his siren lineage… if you want I could try him the same as Seonghwa and have him exiled as well? Or maybe you volunteer to die for him? The magic user and mixed-blood could be spared for knowing what he is but you unfortunately would not be.”

“Stop.” San said coldly, putting himself between Wooyoung and the witch.

The witch just gave a small laugh. “So young and feisty. You must care a lot about your human pet.”

“He’s not a pet, he’s my  _ friend _ .” San replied, his voice shaking with anger. “And I would never let you hurt him. I wouldn’t let  _ anyone _ hurt  _ any _ of my friends.”

“How adorable.” The witch said again with another dismissive laugh. “Now, as I don’t believe there is anything more I can do for  _ you three _ , I will be tending to your friends.”

With a dramatic flourish the sea witch disappeared into the back of the bath house, leaving the three companions alone in the room.

“Sannie, let’s go.” Wooyoung said as he pulled San in close and ushered him out of the room. 

Yeosang went to follow behind them but hesitated slightly instead, still not knowing what exactly to make of this witch, this  _ god _ and their powers. He knew at this point it was useless to worry as the others had already made up their minds and he would just have to hope for good news ...but he just couldn’t get that looming ominous feeling out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. 

It just seemed all too easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter + short epilogue left T^T


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the long-awaited conclusion to the story. T^T

“Yeosang  _ come on! _ ” San called as he and Wooyoung were already halfway down the alley.

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Yeosang shaded his eyes from the intense rays. Having become so used to wearing his eye patch all the time, this simple action had become such an unfamiliar feeling as his eyes desperately tried to adjust.

He fumbled blindly in his bag before pulling out his large, round glasses and carefully positioning them on the bridge of his nose. Instantaneously he noticed that everything around him appeared blurry and out of focus. He knew the witch’s spell had to have been too good to be true. This had to be some sort of punishment, they had to be taking away his eyesight. Ripping off his glasses he frustratedly rubbed his eyes but was surprised to see that when he opened them again, everything was perfectly in focus. He held up his glasses once more and realized it was not his eyesight that was fading, it was actually quite the opposite: his eyesight had become better, rendering his glasses useless. Yeosang stood there aghast for a brief moment as he shoved the glasses back in his bag with a huff. He couldn’t believe it. The witch had actually healed him.

“Yeosang are you coming or not! I’m starving!” Wooyoung yelled in an agitated tone from the mouth of the alley.

“Coming!” Yeosang called back, giving his head a bit of a shake before launching into a jog after them.

***

In the back of the bath house, a number of large stone and tile communal baths were situated in a bright, high-ceilinged room. The witch was quickly preparing everything for the ritual, having instructed Hongjoong into one of the larger stone baths that was filled to the brim and nearly overflowing with fragrant water. Hongjoong was quick to follow their instructions, blindly trusting them as it was evidently the only option they had.

“I’m not going to change into a merman or anything… am I?” Hongjoong asked before stepping into the warm bath waters.

The witch gave a hearty laugh. “No, no, of course not. The genes within you are so insignificant that I don’t think you could shift even if you tried.”

Hongjoong gave a small huff before he carefully disrobed and stepped into the water. It was soothingly warm on his aching muscles and calloused skin which was much more used to the harsh feeling of sea water. He sunk down until the water was up to his shoulders and just took in the calming aromas of the various oils the witch had already added to the water. If the circumstances had been different, he thought that he could have easily enjoyed a bath like this, just relaxing in the calm waters.

“Just rest for a bit and clear your mind, Seonghwa and myself will return shortly.” The witch said as they hurriedly ushered Seonghwa into a side room that was filled floor to ceiling with hundreds of different oils, herbs and other magical ingredients.

“A bath house? This was an unexpected change. It took me quite a long time to track you down.” Seonghwa commented, casually leaning against a small table in the middle of the room as the witch worked on gathering various items from the dozens of tiny alcoves in the wall.

“Yes well you know that I like trying out all facets of life. It’s boring to stay in one place for so long.” The witch said in a distracted tone while sorting out ingredients on the table.

Seonghwa let out a long sigh thinking about how instead  _ he _ would be the one trapped in the same place for the remainder of his life. The witch immediately realized the carelessness of their words and looked longingly at Seonghwa.

“Oh my sweet boy I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” The witch said in a forlorn voice. “It’s just when you’ve lived as long as I—I just needed a change. A bath house allows me to help heal others both physically or emotionally, letting their stresses wash away in the baths. It’s the closest I can get to the sea without returning myself. I have confidence that you will be able to thrive in whatever environment you are faced with.”

“You know it’s the only choice I have.” Seonghwa muttered in a quiet voice.

An awkward silence permeated the room for quite some time.

“So, I know the siren boy said that you rescued him but you never explained how your pendant was cracked in the first place.” The witch asked casually in an attempt to change the subject.

Seonghwa let out a long sigh once again as he recalled the unpleasant memories to the forefront of his mind. “We—San and I—unintentionally brought the attention of a rogue coven of witches upon ourselves in our previous home. They blackmailed us, trying to force us to provide them with a monthly supply of our scales, threatening to otherwise expose us to the locals if we did not comply with their demands.”

“Oh my, a coven should never use their magic to reveal other supernaturals to humans. There are strict laws forbidding supernatural extortion among many covens.” 

“Well they definitely didn’t abide by any rules.” Seonghwa continued in a dry tone. “Their harassment continued for quite some time until San finally bent under the pressure and decided to retaliate. He used his siren abilities to essentially glamour them into backing off and forgetting we existed. We figured we would be safe. Unfortunately that backfired when the glamour eventually wore off and they realized they had been duped out of scales for a number of months so they came after San out of revenge. Things escalated and they ended up confronting us while we were out in public, one member unleashing a killing curse aimed at San. However, I stepped between them and took the blow instead. I guess I’m lucky that the crystal took on the brunt of the curse, otherwise I probably would have dropped dead right then and there from its potency.”

The witch gave him a torn look, reaching over and giving his cheek a gentle yet reassuring rub with their thumb.

“You really care for the siren boy don’t you.” They replied quietly. “Just like how you care for the mixed-blood.”

“San was like the only family I had for years.” Seonghwa replied, getting slightly choked up in the process. “He had already suffered so much at the hands of humans that I couldn’t just let them take away the remainder of his life. I never told him that it was a killing curse that had hit me, it would have destroyed him with guilt. As far as he knows it was only a particularly nasty flesh curse.”

“But after all that happened, how on Earth did you make it back to the Northern Islands?” The witch asked.

“Eden. And Hongjoong.” Seonghwa muttered. “I don’t know exactly what happened in the immediate aftermath of the attack but according to San Eden found us and chased off the coven. While he stated that he was not proficient in healing, he  _ was _ good at cloaking spells and tried his best to take us into hiding until we could find a way out of the city. He suggested that I head back North to find you as you would evidently be the one who would know if anything could be done for me. And then he introduced me to Hongjoong to take us there.”

“This all seems very convenient.” The witch said with a sigh. “I would not be surprised if he had been keeping tabs on both you and the mixed-blood the moment either of you stepped foot in his ‘jurisdiction’ per se. He always did like meddling with my affairs.” The witch gave a bit of a laugh. “But I have to say I’m glad that he did for both your’s and the mixed-blood’s sake.”

“Please don’t call him ‘the mixed-blood.’” Seonghwa quietly retorted. “It’s so dehumanizing.”

“I apologize, what did you say his name was again?” The witch asked.

“Hongjoong.”

“Ah yes, right right.” The witch muttered as they went back to mixing ingredients.

Seonghwa nervously wandered the small room as the witch worked. After preparing a couple different elixirs, they called on one of their assistants to come and help with the next steps.

“Please prepare this for bath number three. Use bath mixture number eleven for the base.” The witch instructed the bath house assistant as they quickly took one of the elixirs from their hands and scurried out of the room.

“Now, let’s get to work.” They stated confidently as they picked up the second elixir and headed back to the baths, Seonghwa following close behind.

Hongjoong had made himself all too comfortable in the warm bath. Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease seeing him looking so relaxed, his head leaned up against the edge with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful.

“Shall we begin?” The witch said as they crouched down along the side of the bath.

Hongjoong was immediately pulled out of his moment of relaxation and gave a quick hum and a nod as he turned to face them. The witch poured the elixir into the bath, turning the water a faint shimmering purple colour.

“This will help the magic to take hold.” The witch explained calmly, swishing their hand back and forth in the warm water to further stir in the elixir. “It will only take a moment.”

When the witch felt that the water was to their liking they began the process.

“Now, this might be a little unpleasant but I assure you that you are in good hands and I will not cause you any harm.” The witch instructed. “Please take a deep breath and hold it for me.”

The witch firmly placed one hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder and the other atop his head. The moment Hongjoong had taken that breath, the witch plunged him beneath the surface of the water and held him there. Seonghwa paced nearby, anxiously fiddling with his pendant as he watched the witch perform the ritual.

At first everything seemed normal enough aside from the odd glow coming from the calm waters but as time ticked on, and the longer Hongjoong stayed submerged, the more Seonghwa’s concerns mounted. Minute after minute ticked by, much longer than any human should be able to stay underwater. But then again Hongjoong wasn’t entirely human. It wasn’t long before Seonghwa’s concerns came to fruition as the water began to ripple in a rather violent manner. One of Hongjoong’s hands thrust out of the water, frantically trying to grasp at the witch’s arm.

_ Seonghwa help! _ Hongjoong’s panicked thoughts rang through Seonghwa’s mind as he thrashed violently.

“Stop!” Seonghwa cried as he ran towards the edge of the tub, attempting to pull the witch away from Hongjoong. “He’s drowning, he needs air!”

“Get back!” The witch hissed at Seonghwa. “If you want this to work you will  _ not _ interrupt me!”

“But I can hear the panic in his thoughts! He can’t breathe! Please release him!” Seonghwa pleaded.

In an instant the witch had let go of Hongjoong and he came bursting through the surface with a loud, frightened gasp. 

“You could have killed him!” Seonghwa snarled, dropping to his knees at the edge of the bath and pulling Hongjoong towards him. 

Seonghwa tightly held onto him in an attempt to help calm him down, pressing Hongjoong tightly against his chest. His breathing was heavy and erratic as he kept sputtering, having inhaled some of the bath waters. He was also shaking uncontrollably in his arms on the verge of a panic attack from his past traumas being lived out once more.

“I apologize, but I had to make sure his body was pushed to the extent that his merman genes were fully activated.” The witch said solemnly.

Seonghwa knew the witch would not have intentionally hurt Hongjoong and his words made sense but he couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed on Hongjoong’s behalf for not having any warning of what the ritual would really entail. Seonghwa turned his eyes down towards the damp and shaking Hongjoong. Slowly pulling back, he reached up and held Hongjoong’s face gently in his hands.

“Hongjoong, hey, look at me.” Seonghwa said in a soft yet concerned voice as Hongjoong’s body gave another violent shudder, his gaze seeming distant. “Everything is okay now. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Hongjoong slowly made eye contact with Seonghwa and shakily nodded his head.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He replied in a small whisper. “Just a little shaken. I just need a moment.”

“As much as I would like you to continue your touching moment, the spell is not finished and we must work quickly.” The witch interrupted in a curt manner.

Hongjoong slowly pulled himself away from Seonghwa and reluctantly waded back over to the witch. The witch held out their hand for Hongjoong to place his hand. Taking a tight grip on Hongjoong, the witch covered the inside of Hongjoong’s wrist with their hand and began reciting some sort of incantation in a language unfamiliar to both Seonghwa and Hongjoong. Hongjoong let out a small gasp in pain, his fingers recoiling at the odd burning sensation. When the witch removed their hand, they revealed a large rune-like marking seemingly branded onto Hongjoong’s skin. Hongjoong pulled back his arm, cradling it gently as he looked over the marking.

“What is this?” He asked, gently pulling at the tingling skin.

“That is an ancient transformation and bonding rune that I am using to keep any merman abilities within you evoked so we can bind that energy with Seonghwa.” The witch explained. “Now Seonghwa, I would ask that you please shift to your original form so we may continue.”

As Hongjoong struggled to climb out of the bath and dry himself off, still a little visibly shaken, Seonghwa undressed and waded into the water. He quickly disappeared under the surface without a word and began the shift. He found that shifting in such a small, confined space was a little uncomfortable but after a minute or so he resurfaced in his merman form.

“Oh Seonghwa, your poor scales.” The witch said in an empathetic tone, immediately noticing the grey scales through the shallow waters. “Come here and let me see.”

Seonghwa cautiously made his way over to the edge of the bath and raised his tail fin up out of the water. The witch ran their fingers along the discoloured scales, a disappointed look spreading across their face. Seonghwa could only look away in shame. In the time since he had shifted in the lagoon the number of grey scales had almost tripled and spatterings of them were covering his body as far up as his navel.

“Well I guess it could have been worse.” They sighed. “I will not be able to heal them quickly but at least it won’t be impossible for them to regain their natural colour.” The witch said getting back to their feet. “It will just take some time.”

The witch carefully asked for Seonghwa’s arm and repeated a similar process as Hongjoong, branding the same rune on Seonghwa’s wrist, beginning the binding process. It was at this moment that Hongjoong’s merman genes finally took over, allowing him to hear every single one of Seonghwa’s panicked and anxious thoughts. He let out a small gasp as he quickly became overwhelmed, pressing the sides of his head with his palms and cowering away.

“Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asked in a concerned tone. “Is everything okay?”

“No—I… I don’t know what’s happening?!” Hongjoong gasped out. “It’s like I can hear everything you’re thinking!”

“Ah good, the bond seems to be already working.” The witch said in a pleased tone.

Seonghwa’s eyes went wide as suddenly everything made sense; how he had been able to hear Hongjoong’s thoughts previously. It had to have been Hongjoong’s merman genes taking over and calling out to him.

“I’m sorry.” Seonghwa said quietly, taking in several deep breaths. “I will try to calm my thoughts so they do not overwhelm you.”

“It would help if you, Hongjoong, tried to focus your own mind on other things as well.” The sea witch added, briefly looking over at Hongjoong. “Maybe a happy memory or something trivial?”

Hongjoong nodded and tried pulling his focus away from Seonghwa’s panicked internal dialogue, focussing on the happy moments they had spent on the bank of the river instead. Blush began to creep up on Seonghwa’s cheeks as he picked up on the memory that Hongjoong had decided to focus on. Slowly the noise began to subside aa Hongjoong was left with only his own internal dialogue once more. To him it was a relieving silence.

“This will take some getting used to but I think I’m fine now.” Hongjoong said sheepishly.

“Now, to heal that poor body of yours.” The witch muttered, turning back to Seonghwa.

The sea witch carefully lifted Seonghwa out of the water. Seonghwa tightly clung to them as he did not normally like being picked up. The sea witch carefully carried him over to a third shallow, empty bath and sat him down on the cold stone bottom. The witch pulled a small lever in the wall and the bath started to slowly fill with a thick black liquid. Seonghwa instinctively inched away from the unpleasant looking substance as it slowly approached but soon could go no further. He quickly closed his eyes to calm himself but the odd sensation of the thick liquid against his tail fin caused a shiver to run up his spine. 

When the liquid had covered up to Seonghwa’s hips, the witch slowly had him lay back to submerge as much of his damaged body as possible. However as soon as his gills touched the liquid he bolted upright in a frenzied panic with a horrible wheeze.

“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe!” He choked out as he quickly attempted to scrape the thick substance off his gills.

“Shhh, shhh it’s okay.” The witch soothed. “You unfortunately will have to breathe manually, you will not be able to use your gills.”

Seonghwa grimaced and let out a few more coughs before taking a couple deep breaths in through his nose. Slowly he calmed back down and was able to lay back, the liquid covering up to his chin. He stared up at the ceiling with a strained looked as the witch stopped the flow of the liquid. 

“This bath consists of enchanted silt from the seafloor. Your ancestors used to use this to replenish their health before humans took over their shores, forcing them away from using these types of magic.” The witch explained. “The therapeutic minerals within the silt combined with the borrowed energy from Hongjoong should help to slowly reverse the damage caused by the crystal on your body as the binding spell between the two of you strengthens. Unfortunately you will be required to stay like this overnight but by morning you should start to feel the results.”

Hongjoong cautiously came over and sat beside the bath.

“I will stay here with him.” Hongjoong said calmly.

Seonghwa slowly reached a scaly hand up out of the liquid and Hongjoong took hold of it.

“That is very kind of you.” The witch said. “Now, I have other clients arriving shortly that I must see too. If you run into any problems, I’m sure you’ll figure out how to summon me.”

With that the witch disappeared, leaving Hongjoong and Seonghwa alone in the back of the bath house.

“How are you feeling?” Hongjoong asked quietly, gently running his thumb over the slippery scales on the back of Seonghwa’s hand.

“I’m not quite sure? Heavy... tired...” Seonghwa breathed.

“Just rest and heal. I don’t care how long it takes, I will be here waiting for you.” Hongjoong said calmly, precariously leaning over the bath and giving Seonghwa a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa replied as he slowly closed his eyes.

Not too long after, the binding spell had fully taken hold of Hongjoong and as Seonghwa began to feel the healing effects, it had become quite draining on his own body. It wasn’t long before he slowly lay down alongside the bath and fell asleep at Seonghwa’s side, still holding tightly onto Seonghwa’s hand.

When Hongjoong woke in the early hours of the morning he quickly noticed something was different about Seonghwa. All the scales on his hand and his face had disappeared.

“Seonghwa?” Hongjoong whispered as he struggled to push himself into a sitting position, all his muscles aching from laying on the tile floor. “Seonghwa, are you awake?”

Seonghwa gave a small groan and lazily opened his eyes to look at Hongjoong.

“What is it?”

“Your scales, they’re gone!” Hongjoong said in a worried tone, as Seonghwa gently pulled his hand out of Hongjoong’s grasp.

Seonghwa raised his arm out of the now very heavy liquid, turning it this way and that to get a better look. It was completely void of any and all scales. He struggled to move slightly and a bare fleshy knee emerged above the surface. Both he and Hongjoong were somewhat concerned at what they saw. Had he somehow managed to shift back to his human form while healing?

“I guess this is my last shift.” Seonghwa said in an almost devastated voice. “My last chance.”

“Seonghwa, don’t say it like that…” Hongjoong replied.

“Ah it appears the two of you are awake!” The witch said in a chipper tone, casually strolling into the room.

They made a beeline to Seonghwa, taking a hold of his exposed arm and roughly pulling him up into a sitting position. They thoroughly checked him over, poking and prodding at Seonghwa’s bare flesh while muttering under his breath either in contemplation or while performing some sort of magical reveal spell on him.

“Well it seems like the spell worked wonderfully. I can’t detect any lingering trace of permanent damage caused by the curse or by the crystal.” The witch said in a pleased tone, turning to Hongjoong and closely looking over him as well. “How do  _ you _ feel?”

“Uh, tired?” Hongjoong grumbled.

“As to be expected, it appears Seonghwa took quite a lot of your energy in the transfer.” The witch commented. “So much so that he managed to shift in the process. Quite remarkable.”

“How do we know the ritual it truly worked?” Seonghwa asked quietly.

“Well other than taking my word for it, we will have to wait and see until you shift back to your merman form to see how much it was able to heal immediately but I assure you over time you will slowly regain more and more of your strength permitting you never shift back to your human form.”

“I know, I know.” Seonghwa sighed, “I don’t plan on it. Once I shift back, that will be it. Never again.”

“Good, good.” The witch tutted. “Well, might as well clean yourself up and get dressed as you still have much to do with your remaining time on land. We don’t want to waste any more of it, now do we?”

Seonghwa struggled to pull himself from the thick and heavy liquid, the silt having partially set overnight. Both the witch and Hongjoong ended up having to help free him. Using Hongjoong as a sort of crutch he slowly stumbled over to one of the other baths that he was directed to to quickly rinse off before redressing.

“Now one last thing before you go.” The witch said, pressing a small folded paper into Seonghwa’s hand. “Give this to your little healer friend. When you find your final living arrangements, have him use this to summon me.”

Seonghwa looked at the small folded paper and quietly thanked the witch before both him and Hongjoong were hurriedly ushered by the other staff out of the bath house and into the bright morning sunlight.

“Are you going to be alright?” Hongjoong said quietly as he and Seonghwa slowly got their bearings and began the long walk back to the inn.

“Yes. It’s not that I didn’t sort of expect this.” Seonghwa replied, idly looking over the small rune marking that was now permanently etched into his skin.

“There’s still hope.” Hongjoong replied. “There are hundreds of remote islands around here. I’m sure we can have Jongho map out a course to one that has everything you need to survive on it.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said quietly.

Despite all the witch had done for them and the healing bond that had been created, there was still an empty feeling dwelling in Hongjoong’s conscience as he looked down at the rune marking on his own skin. He was grateful but it still felt like he could have done more. Hongjoong was determined to prepare the very best for the remainder of Seonghwa’s days and would not rest until he did so. He owed Seonghwa that much.

***

When Hongjoong and Seonghwa finally arrived back at the inn, they found Yeosang anxiously waiting for them in Wooyoung and San’s room. Everyone quickly rose to their feet when they entered the room, almost not expecting them to have returned so quickly despite it being nearly a full day since they were separated. San immediately leapt at Seonghwa, wrapping his arms around him in a crushing hug, nuzzling his head beneath Seonghwa’s jaw while unleashing a series of mutterings as to how worried he had been the entire time.

“Not so tight!” Seonghwa laughed, carefully loosening San’s hold on him. “I’m fine now, no need to worry.”

“So is everything actually good now? Did they manage to actually heal you?” Yeosang asked as San guided Seonghwa over to one of the beds to sit down.

“I think so.” Seonghwa said with a contented sigh.

Yeosang also pulled Hongjoong over and had him sit down beside Seonghwa before immediately going over every minute detail of the ritual and what it entailed all while asking dozens of questions to make sure that they were alright in his own mind.

“All this time, you had merman blood huh.” Yeosang muttered to himself while roughly turning Hongjoong’s chin side to side. “No wonder you got so dehydrated all the time and my remedies never quite worked the way they were supposed to with you.”

Hongjoong playfully swatted Yeosang’s hand away with a scoff. “Yeah well it was as much news to me as it was to you.”

Yeosang’s eyes were soon drawn to their tattoos and he began looking over them intently. He reached over the side of the bed and pulled out one of his books and began flipping frantically through the pages in an attempt to find the matching rune symbols. But they didn’t seem to exist in his spell book. It had to have been some sort of magic he had never used before because he couldn’t find any evidence for it.

“They’re mermaid runes.” Seonghwa explained quietly, noticing how frantic Yeosang was becoming searching through his book. “My people used to use them for healing, I doubt you’ll find them in a human spell book.”

Yeosang let out a long sigh and snapped the book closed. “You’re right.”

Hongjoong let out a relieved sigh before he noticed Yeosang leaning back again and pulling another book out of his bag, this time it was the mythical sea creatures book he had used previously and began flipping through it to the section on merfolk.

“Yeosang.” Hongjoong said sternly.

“Sorry.” Yeosang murmured. “I don’t know why I’m so worked up about this. But will you at least let me run some tests?” Yeosang asked.

Hongjoong reluctantly agreed and Yeosang immediately got to work, taking vitals and scribbling down notes as the others looked on. At one point he took a small pin and pricked the tip of Hongjoong’s finger. Immediately Seonghwa looked down at his own hand, having felt a sharp prick on the pad of his own finger. He carefully rubbed over the spot with a look of confusion.

“You aren’t going to believe this…” Seonghwa began to say. “But I think I just felt you prick Hongjoong’s finger.”

Yeosang gave him a wide-eyed look before pricking Hongjoong’s middle finger a little more forcefully. Hongjoong let out a small  _ ah _ which Seonghwa mirrored as the feeling travelled through his finger.

“It seems like this healing bond is a lot stronger than I had expected.” Yeosang muttered.

“Can I see something?” San asked, getting up and approaching Hongjoong.

Hongjoong nodded as San encroached on his space, carefully looking over his facial features. Without any warning, San forcefully slapped Hongjoong across the face. Hongjoong let out a painful hiss as he reached up to hold his now throbbing cheek.

“What the hell San!” Hongjoong snarled.

Wooyoung had tumbled onto the floor cackling loudly like a hyena but San’s attention was squarely focused on Seonghwa who was sitting there, mouth slightly agape, clutching his own throbbing cheek having been completely caught off guard by the sudden wave of pain.

“Oh my—Seonghwa I’m so sorry!” San blurted out, rushing over to comfort him as Hongjoong grumbled beside him.

“Ow.” Seonghwa groaned out in an agitated tone.

“I didn’t think that would actually work!” San squeaked out, gently placing his own hand on top of Seonghwa’s as his cheek burned beneath his touch without showing a single mark on his flesh.

“It looks like the bond is much deeper that I thought.” Yeosang muttered. “I wonder what else can be felt between you?”

There was an implication there that hung heavily in the air between them for several long seconds as the others looked between Hongjoong and Seonghwa expectantly.

San had an idea, then. He did not hesitate in his actions. He moved so quickly that Seonghwa did not even have a chance to react until San’s lips were already firmly pressed against his, San’s tongue quickly working its way seductively into his mouth. Wooyoung let out an audible gasp from his place on the floor, watching the bizarre scene unfold in front of him. 

“San!” Wooyoung cried out in mild offense.

Seonghwa’s eyes had gone wide in surprise at San’s forwardness and he let out a startled grunt but the real reaction came from Hongjoong who had bolted to his feel and was now standing several feet away having immediately clamped his hands over his own mouth, stifling a small cry in the process. The moment San had made a move it was like he could feel everything Seonghwa was feeling and his stomach gave a violent lurch.

As San continued, Hongjoong was absolutely horrified by the sensation, slowly backing himself into a corner while muttering “Stop, stop, stop!”

San gave a sly look out of the corner of his eye, having heard Hongjoong’s protests and he sloppily pulled away from the now evidently flustered Seonghwa.

“Looks like they share  _ other _ senses as well.” San said smugly as he casually wiped his bottom lip with his thumb.

Yeosang and Wooyoung sat there with mouths agape while San seemed quite proud at his discovery. Seonghwa quickly tried to catch his breath once again, despite his heart beating much too quickly for his own liking. Meanwhile Hongjoong had slid down onto the floor and had buried his face in his hands in utter embarrassment.

“This is… this is going to take a lot more getting used to than I had expected.” Hongjoong mumbled, his face having become as red as a beet during San’s experimentation.

They sat there in silence for a long while, as everyone tried to compose themselves. Nobody really knew what to make of things until Seonghwa finally spoke up. Pulling Hongjoong back to his feet, he suggested that they head upstairs and get some rest while they figure out the full extent of this bonding spell on their own without interference. Yeosang quickly agreed and followed them out, seeing himself to his own room that had been otherwise left untouched as he had been spending all his time with Yunho instead.

San let out a small huff and flopped back on the bed.

“You really need to work on your jealousy issues.” Wooyoung muttered to San after the others had left and were out of hearing range.

San sat back up and looked at him with a small pout. “I was only having a bit of fun. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Wooyoung just shook his head. “Nah. I mean, I don’t really like it but I know you and Seonghwa have a history together. I think you might need to have a talk with him, though.”

“So you’re really okay?”

“You’re still learning to be human.” Wooyoung shrugged. “I’ll let it slide this one time but don’t let it happen again.” He said with a bit of a laugh before playfully tackling San back onto the bed.

“I promise, I promise!” San squeaked out between fits of giggles as Wooyoung began nipping at his neck.

Upstairs, the mood was much different as Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat silently in their own room. Hongjoong was lightly tracing over the runes on his wrist with his finger. Seonghwa had said he wanted to discuss things but neither of them really felt like talking; the day had already been so emotionally and physically overwhelming.

“I’m sorry for San’s impulsive actions.” Seonghwa said quietly.

“It’s fine. I know that’s just how he is.” Hongjoong sighed as he pulled out a bandana from his pack, wrapping it around his wrist to cover the runes. “We will have other things to worry about soon enough. Let’s just take it easy for now.”

Seonghwa hummed in agreement and splayed himself on the bed, sensing Hongjoong’s uneasiness as it hung over the room. As Seonghwa looked out the window, the once sunny midday skies slowly began to darken with storm clouds. He rolled over and curled up, hoping to get some decent sleep and that he could forget about the challenges looming in the near future.

***

As their days that remained on the Northern Islands slowly passed, what should have been a joyful time with Seonghwa’s recovering health, eventually dimmed to a more sombre atmosphere as the reality of the situation began to really sink in. Seonghwa kept reassuring everyone that he was finally healthy and that the option he chose was the best option, but the others couldn’t help but notice that it hadn’t stopped raining since he and Hongjoong had returned from the bath house. San eventually decided he needed to confront him about it.

It was early in the evening and it took San quite a while to actually find Seonghwa. It was no surprise when he eventually found him out on the veranda of the inn, looking wistfully out at the rain.

“Are you doing this?” San said as he quietly approached him.

“Doing what?” Seonghwa asked, not taking his eyes off the falling rain.

“The rain.” San commented.

Seonghwa just hummed in confirmation, holding his hand out from under the roof overhang to feel the warm rain on his hand.

“Do you remember when you first introduced me to the rain?” San said with a small smile.

Seonghwa gave another hum. “Yes, it was quite endearing.”

“It was one of the happiest moments of life.” San replied with a fond smile. “It was like I was finally learning how to live again. And it was all thanks to you.”

Seonghwa looked over at San standing beside him. His eyes were glassy, and he was struggling to hide his emotions. San caught Seonghwa’s glance and, without hesitation, turned away and stepped out into the rain. He immediately became drenched within seconds, hiding any tears. Seonghwa quickly caused the rain to let up slightly before he noticed San was standing there with his hand outstretched towards him, just smiling warmly. Reaching out and taking hold of San’s hand, Seonghwa stepped out into the rain as well, a smile spreading across his face.

“You were right back then, it really does feel nice.” San muttered as he pulled Seonghwa in close.

Seonghwa linked his fingers with San’s and they just stood there, taking in the wonderful feeling of the water on their skin.

“I have to admit,” San began to say. “I might still act a little childish sometimes as Wooyoung says, but I promise I don’t harbor any ill feelings towards you and your choices. As jealous as I was in the beginning for anyone to dare take you away from me for even a moment, I’m really glad you found Hongjoong. And I’m really glad that he was able to help you when I couldn’t.”

“I would not have gotten this far without your help San. But your honest words truly mean a lot.” Seonghwa replied quietly, holding onto San tightly and resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Now, how about we ease up on the weather a little for the remaining time we have here, for the humans’ sake at least.” San said with a small laugh.

Seonghwa gave a playful huff but with a few quick hand motions, the rain had let up completely and the clouds slowly began to clear and part, revealing the warm orange glow from the setting sun off in the distance.

“Thank you, San.” Seonghwa said with a sigh.

“For what?” San asked, looking him up with a curious expression.

Seonghwa hesitated, just looking over San’s shoulder at the beautiful sunset behind him before giving his head a light shake.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go get dried off then how about we go find some delicious food for dinner, just the two of us?” Seonghwa said with a small smile.

“I’d really like that.” San beamed as Seonghwa wrapped his arm around his shoulder to lead him back inside.

***

It was quite early in the morning when Jongho made his way from the ship to the inn where the other crew members had been staying, hauling a large bag filled with dozens of maps and cartography supplies. It was no surprise to him to find Hongjoong and Seonghwa rooming together and already awake, ready to get to work. The small room did not have the table space necessary, so Jongho began to roll out the maps of the surrounding islands on the floor, sitting cross-legged on the hardwood to look them over.

“So what exactly did you want me to plot?” Jongho asked, looking up between Hongjoong and Seonghwa. “Did you already pick up a new job for when the ship’s repaired?”

“No, it’s not quite that simple.” Hongjoong said, sitting down on the floor across from him, eyes already scanning over the map in front of him.

“There are some things I should probably explain first.” Seonghwa said as he gave a couple nervous paces.

Jongho just looked up at him with an unbothered expression.

“We need you to find us an inhabited island, an island that contains some sort of lagoon or cove, somewhere where I can... live.” Seonghwa began to explain, a hint of apprehension in his voice.

Jongho’s expression still didn’t waver.

“That’s it? Just find some remote island so you can go become a hermit?” Jongho scoffed.

“It’s because Seonghwa is a merman. He was exiled from the sea and we need to find somewhere he can live safely.” Hongjoong added, catching Seonghwa completely off guard.

Jongho let out a hearty laugh, looking between the two of them. However neither Hongjoong or Seonghwa were laughing and his expression quickly switched back to something more expressionless.

“Oh.  _ Oh _ you’re  _ serious _ .” Jongho quipped. “Seonghwa is really… a merman?”

“While Hongjoong’s statement was much more blunt that I would have preferred, he speaks the truth.” Seonghwa replied, finally sitting down on the floor with a tired sigh.

“San is too. And so am I to an extent. I guess. Although I’m still mostly human.” Hongjoong continued, shrinking a little, expecting an unfavorable reaction.

“Is anyone else on the crew a merman that I should know about?” Jongho retorted in a sarcastic manner.

Hongjoong just shook his head.

“Alright. Well. That’s not what I was expecting, but let’s get to work then.” Jongho said as he began pulling out his mapping tools.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong merely exchanged surprised glances at how quickly Jongho just accepted what they had told him. 

Jongho didn’t even bring up mermen once while he worked, yet he still seemed to take their somewhat ridiculous-sounding words seriously into consideration as he weighed the pros and cons of each island. Scouring the map, he first tried to narrow down the number of islands to those that were known to be no longer inhabited. There was a surprisingly large amount, in the dozens. From there they went about seeing how many of those islands were atolls that contained some sort of lagoon. Their search brought them down to four, the closest being about two hours and half by sailboat from the main port.

“But couldn’t it cause issues if it’s too close to heavily inhabited areas?” Jongho pondered as he leaned away from the map. “This island used to be used by fishermen until the area was over-fished and they were forced to move on. It’s supposed to be uninhabited now, but wouldn’t it run a greater risk of strangers stumbling upon it?”

“You make a good point.” Seonghwa sighed. “But if we could maybe use some sort of cloaking spell to make the island less appealing… or maybe to even remove it from sight, it could easily work.”

“Well if you want, I can see if there are any small boats available for rent when I head back to the ship and we can go out and take a look for ourselves to see what the island is like?” Jongho continued.

“That would be perfect, thank you.” Seonghwa replied. “Hongjoong, what do you think?”

Hongjoong had appeared lost in thought while staring at the map and quickly gave himself a shake to pull himself back to the present, giving a small hum in confusion while looking between the two of them.

“We can take a boat and go check out this island here.” Seonghwa repeated, pointed to the atoll on the map.

“Oh yeah, sounds great.” Hongjoong replied, his voice still seeming distant.

Jongho circled the island on the map as well as marking the three other islands as backups and gathered up his supplies. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were quick to see him off, agreeing to meet at the docks that afternoon to see about boat rentals.

“Hongjoong, is everything alright?” Seonghwa asked after Jongho had left. “You haven’t been acting like your normal self, like something is warring on your conscience. I can’t read your mind when I’m in this form… you need to tell me what’s wrong.”

Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa in a distraught manner.

“It just hurts thinking about how I’m just going to have to abandon you on some remote island.” Hongjoong replied. “Obviously we will find you the best place to live but it just… it feels like I’m betraying you in some way.”

Seonghwa leaned in and gave Hongjoong a light, playful kiss on the lips.

“You have already sacrificed so much for me, do not feel guilty about any of the choices you are forced to make on my behalf. I will gladly accept them without hesitation. I care too deeply for you to allow you to betray yourself.” Seonghwa said quietly, giving Hongjoong another kiss as if he was hoping the affection would distract Hongjoong long enough to separate him from his own negative thoughts.

Somehow it worked and before Seonghwa knew it, Hongjoong had climbed into his lap and was fervently returning his kisses. It took many more reassurances from Seonghwa but his mood eventually improved as the day progressed.

***

Jongho kept his word and was able to procure a small sailboat for them and the next morning Jongho, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and San set out to explore the first island on the map. Despite its proximity to the mainland, the island was still quite a distance away from the port city when travelling in such a small vessel.

San and Jongho ended up spending a majority of the trip bickering back and forth after San discovered that the others had told him about his secret without him knowing. It culminated in a battle of their voices after Jongho made a quip about San not sounding enough like a siren and daring him to ‘prove it’. 

Jongho had always been considered the best singer among the crew but was often too shy to really show his talent. When that title was threatened by a mythical creature with an annoyingly competitive edge he couldn’t just back down. Both ended up having ethereal voices but the entire ordeal ended in a stalemate after San unleashed his full siren abilities—luckily none of which affected Hongjoong or Seonghwa thanks to their merman genes—causing Jongho to pass out at the helm as the others to scrambled to steady the sailboat once more. Hongjoong had immediately disqualified San as he took hold of the wheel while Seonghwa frantically tried to wake Jongho once more.

Like a couple of children having been sent to time out for fighting, both San and Jongho begrudgingly spent the remainder of the trip sitting apart in silence while Hongjoong took over at the helm.

It took a little over two and a half hours before they were able to make it to shore and step foot on the small island.

“Hmm it looked so close but feels so far from the mainland.” Hongjoong sighed as he kicked at the white sand on the beach.

“It’s literally the closest one there is that meets your criteria.” Jongho quipped back, exhausted from the journey already.

Jongho walked a few steps from the small sail boat and flopped down on the warm sand, leaning back and starfishing his limbs out at his sides.

“You guys go check things out, I’ll stay here with the boat.” Jongho said as he lazily draped his arm over his eyes to get a bit of rest.

“Don’t get dehydrated.” San grumbled as he tossed a full canteen down beside him.

“Sure thing, fishboy.” Jongho scoffed.

San, Seonghwa and Hongjoong all gave him a displeased look.

“Right. I forgot I’m the minority here and can’t selectively bully any of you.” Jongho laughed. “It was a stupid joke.”

“Anyways, we will be back hopefully in a couple hours.” Hongjoong stated as the other two had already started making their way down the beach.

Jongho just gave them a lazy wave and Hongjoong turned to chase after the others.

Hongjoong had originally planned for just him, Seonghwa and Jongho to make the trip but San had insisted he come as well. He had asserted that they would need him to survey the lagoon since there was no way for Seonghwa to be able to shift back and forth to do so. He made a valid point. It would be foolish to expect Seonghwa to stay somewhere they couldn’t even fully explore.

After about an hour of walking, they had surveyed the majority of the exterior of the island. It was an atoll similar to the one they had been stranded on not so long ago, but much smaller in size. As they explored, they came across the small saltwater lagoon towards the west end of the island, which contained a series of natural springs due to nearby underwater volcanoes. 

It appeared that the island had once been lived on as there was a small, rickety dock that led into the middle of the deep lagoon. The remnants of an old rowboat sat sunken at the bottom near the shore and could be easily viewed through the crystal clear waters.

While Seonghwa and Hongjoong made their way around the shore of the lagoon, San carefully made his way onto the dock. The old, weathered boards creaked under his footing and he was a little unsure in taking his first couple steps. But it turned out that the dock was a lot stronger than he had expected. When he reached the edge he peered into the waters below and his face contorted slightly as he tried to get a grasp on the true size of the lagoon.

“It seems really deep!” San called back to the shore. “I’m gonna go take a look!”

Before Hongjoong could even process what San had meant by that, he had stripped completely naked and taken a running leap off the edge of the dock into the water. Hongjoong didn’t even have time to avert his eyes and his cheeks flushed bright red when it sunk in what he had just witnessed.

“Does he… just do that?” Hongjoong blurted out.

“San is very… San.” Seonghwa replied with a laugh.

The speed at which San could now shift was almost an art form in how instantaneous it was. Even in his best health and after years of practice it still took Seonghwa a couple minutes to shift but San had it down to mere seconds. He was still a little self-conscious of his merman form around Hongjoong though so instead of resurfacing, he went straight to work surveying the lagoon.

San curiously approached the small sunken rowboat near the shore. Grabbing onto the wooden side of the boat, he steadied himself in the water, searching for any contents in the boat that could give some possible clues about the previous owner. It was quite evident that the boat had been there quite a long time as much of the wood had rotted away in the salty waters and the nails holding everything together were corroded and brittle. Sifting through the sand that had settled on the bottom eventually something caught his eye: a large iron key. He carefully raked his knuckles across the key, his scales scraping off some of the years worth of grime. Looking over it in his hands it seemed quite unremarkable but he figured it might be important.

_ Seonghwa! _ San thought, repeating Seonghwa’s name over and over, hoping that Seonghwa would be able to hear and respond to him.

On the shore Hongjoong noticed Seonghwa’s pendant giving off an intense glow.

“Is it supposed to be doing that?” Hongjoong asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing at the crystal.

Seonghwa looked down and as soon as he saw the glow he quickly reacted, taking hold on the pendant tightly in his hands, closing his eyes and concentrating on clearing his mind. Immediately he could hear San calling out to him.

_ Yes San? What is it? Are you in trouble? _ Seonghwa’s eyebrows furrowed as he strained to keep his focus.

_ Ah ha! It worked! No, I’m fine. But I found something! Tell Hongjoong to turn around or look away or close his eyes… or something. I want to show you but I don’t want him seeing me. _

_ Alright, alright. _

Seonghwa gave a small wheeze through his nose. “San says he’s going to resurface but he wants you to look away.”

“So he’s completely fine with public nudity but I can’t dare lay eyes on him in his merman form?” Hongjoong scoffed with a roll of his eyes as he turned his back to the water.

“San, you can come out now!” Seonghwa called.

In an instant San had resurfaced, proudly waving the iron key above his head.

“I found a key!” San exclaimed proudly before lobbing it towards Seonghwa who struggled to catch it. “See if you can find what’s for!”

Before Seonghwa could respond San had already disappeared below the surface once more.

“What do you think it unlocks?” Hongjoong asked, turning back around to look at the key in Seonghwa’s hand.

Seonghwa shrugged. “I guess we should look around so see if we can find something.”

Back below the surface San was eagerly searching the remainder of the lagoon. As expected it was surprisingly deep and contained several small underwater alcoves naturally carved out of the rock formations. He was surprised by the abundance of vegetation and sea life that lived within the rather small lagoon but he could see this not being the worst place to live. It was definitely sustainable. When he had seen everything he thought there was to see he shifted back to his human form and made his way back to the surface, struggling to pull himself back up onto the dock. As he redressed, he looked around and noticed the others were nowhere to be seen. Odd. 

“Seonghwa!” He called loudly while jogging along the sandy shore. “Seonghwa where are you!”

“San? We’re over here!” Seonghwa’s voice responded from the nearby jungle.

San followed Seonghwa’s voice into the jungle only to find a small wooden shack that had been mostly reclaimed by the plantlife surrounding it. The door was ajar and San carefully stepped inside.

“What is this?” San mumbled having found Seonghwa and Hongjoong as he looked around the small interior covered in dust and cobwebs.

“Appears Jongho was right about this island being part of old fishing grounds. Looks like someone used to live here but not for a very, very long time.” Hongjoong replied, blowing some dust off an old pile of maps.

“The key led us here.” Seonghwa added. 

“It’s a little rundown but it could easily be fixed up.” Hongjoong muttered.

“But how was the lagoon?” Seonghwa said, turning to San with a look of curiosity.

“Oh it’s pretty nice actually.  _ Real _ deep, lots of sea life. But it seems like it could be a little crowded for the both of us.” San replied casually.

Seonghwa’s expression immediately dropped at San’s words. “Oh San…”

“What?” San huffed in mild confusion at Seonghwa’s reaction.

“Hongjoong, if you don’t mind I’d like to talk to San in private.” Seonghwa said quietly as he ushered San towards the door of the small shack.

“That’s fine, I’ll be here just looking through things. Take as long as you need.”

San’s eyebrows had knit tightly together as he stared intently at Seonghwa as he led him back towards the beach.

“Here, sit.” Seonghwa said calmly as he sat down on the warm sand.

San reluctantly did as he was told. “What’s this about?”

“San, only I will be staying here.” Seonghwa explained, looking him directly in the eyes. “Alone.”

San aggressively shook his head, refusing to accept Seonghwa’s words.

“I’m not leaving you.” He asserted, pulling his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly. “I won’t do it.”

“San please, don’t do this to yourself. You deserve so much more than to be trapped in this tiny lagoon for the rest of your life.” Seonghwa said, inching closer and placing his hand over San’s, giving his fingers a gentle rub. “You have already been forced to sacrifice so much and have had so much of your freedom taken away due to the greed of humans. But you have Wooyoung and Hongjoong and the rest of the crew to look after you now. I know how close you’ve become with Wooyoung and that he probably cares just as deeply for you as I do... I do not want you having to punish yourself any longer for my sake. I want you to be truly free now.”

San didn’t reply but instead buried his face against the back of his knees, letting out a small muffled noise. Seonghwa reached over and gently ran his hand in small circles on San’s back as San’s shoulders gave a small shudder. San had never been one to like outwardly expressing his emotions and Seonghwa knew this news must be particularly hard on him.

“I will always be here waiting if you ever decide to return.” Seonghwa said in a soothing tone. “At least I will have my health and that’s all I can really ask for… that and your future happiness.”

San slowly lifted his head, looking at him with a devastated expression, his cheeks red, puffy and tear-stained as he sniffled loudly.

“I could never love you any less San, I want you to know that. I know living on land these past few years has been very hard on you, mentally and emotionally. Choosing to stay with the crew is all I could ever ask of you. I know it will bring you the happiness you truly deserve.”

San seemed to be having an intense internal conflict within himself as he mulled over Seonghwa’s words, his eyes overflowing with tears as he remained silently hugging his knees.

Taking in a deep, shuddered breath San turned to look at Seonghwa and gave a small nod.

“I’ll do it.” He said in a tiny voice. “I’ll stay with the crew if that is what will make  _ you _ happy.”

Seonghwa hadn’t even realized that his own emotions had been welling up inside of him and suddenly came bursting to the surface at San’s words. He let out a small laugh as he wiped the tears from his own eyes with the back of his hand.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa whispered, his voice having been caught in his throat.

San moved so fast Seonghwa barely had time to react before he had wrapped him in a tight embrace, burying his face snugly against Seonghwa’s collarbone. Seonghwa just let him stay there, clinging to his shirt for as long as he needed to calm down.

“You’ll always be so precious to me, no matter how far away you may be.” Seonghwa said with a small smile as he gently ran his fingers through San’s damp, unkempt hair. “But knowing you’ll be truly happy and free will give me the strength I need to carry on.”

They sat together on the beach for a little while longer until San had regained his composure, sitting back up and aggressively wiping the tears from his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

“So, what do you really think about this place?” Seonghwa asked, looking out over the lagoon as San continued to make a couple small snuffling sounds beside him.

“I think you’ll like it here.” San replied quietly.

“Then I will take your word on it.” Seonghwa said with a warm smile, turning back to look at San. “Shall we go get Hongjoong?”

San nodded. “But you might want to clean yourself up a little bit, you don’t want to look like an emotional mess. You know, since you can’t hold yourself together as well as I can.” San said with a sarcastic smirk as he shuffled over to the edge of the water to wash his own face.

Seonghwa and San straightened themselves out and made their way back to the small shack where they found Hongjoong still rummaging through its contents.

“I think this is it. This is the place.” Seonghwa said confidently, startling Hongjoong a little, who was deeply immersed in one of the books he was leafing through.

“You really sure?” Hongjoong asked, looking between them.

Seonghwa and San shared a look and both nodded. “I’m sure.” Seonghwa replied. “Let’s go tell Jongho and head home.”

Once they had returned to the mainland they relayed the news of Seonghwa’s final decision to Yeosang and Wooyoung. It was in that moment that Seonghwa remembered the piece of paper that the sea witch had given him. He fished his hand into his pocket to find the paper still there and quickly handed it over to Yeosang who looked over it curiously.

“What is this?” He asked, opening it and beginning to read its contents.

“The witch asked me to give this to you.” Seonghwa replied. “They said it was something about summoning them when I was to make my final shift and that you would be able to perform whatever is necessary to do so.”

Yeosang tilted his head slightly as he read over the note.

“I mean, I, uh still don’t know the full extent of my new powers… but, um, I will try?”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa said as he pulled him into a gentle hug.

Yeosang was a little thrown off as this was the first time anyone had really shown that sort of physical affection towards him over the past couple of months… but he welcomed it all the same.

***

The final days on land simultaneously felt like the longest and shortest days Hongjoong and Seonghwa had ever experienced. Time no longer felt like a linear concept to either of them. Minutes dragged on like years yet hours flashed by in the blink of an eye. There was still so much to do with the ship as repairs continued at a frantic pace and as crew members slowly started picking up small jobs here and there on the mainland to help replenish the ship’s stocks.

As much as Seonghwa had hoped to be able to spend at much time with Hongjoong while he still could, he also knew his crew were his entire world and that he had already diverted enough of his attention over the past couple of weeks that he needed to focus back on everyone else who also depended on him. But that did not stop Seonghwa and Hongjoong from being nearly inseparable every night after each day’s work was done.

It was early one evening when Hongjoong gathered all the crew at the ship as he had much he wanted to discuss with everyone before things were to begin to get back to normal. He was evidently nervous despite having known most of the crew for half a decade at least.

“You’re probably wondering why I gathered you all here tonight.” Hongjoong began to say, giving his hair a nervous ruffle. “First off, Mingi has informed me that the ship repairs are almost complete and we will be setting sail in three days’ time. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me and helping us all make it this far. We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.”

An excited murmur spread through the small crowd.

“Second, we have a new job that will bring us to the Western Pass. It looks like it’ll be a big one with a rather large payoff. It will be a several month-long journey so if you wish to stay on land instead and rejoin the crew in the future, that is completely up to you. In conjunction with the new job I would like to congratulate our dear Yunho for securing it and also on his quick recovery.”

Yunho gave a small salute as the crew members turned to give him a round of applause. Despite his cool exterior, he couldn’t hide the nervous blush that crept up on his cheeks.

“It was nothing, really.” He replied sheepishly, his arm was still in a brace but otherwise he appeared back to his normal self.

“Third, I would like to announce that after years of never really having a port to call home, I have decided to make the Northern Islands our home port from now on.” Hongjoong continued. “That means after every job we will head back to this port city to dock. I have already arranged all the paperwork with the harbormaster to get us permanent status here. Additionally I would like to welcome San as a new full-time member of our crew. I’m sure you all benefited greatly from his expertise at working the rigging and we are happy that he has decided to join us on a more permanent basis.”

Wooyoung gave San a light slap on the back as he cracked a small, bittersweet smile.

“Lastly I have something rather unusual to share with you.” Hongjoong said with a reluctant sigh as he scratched at the back of his neck. “As some of you already know, some information about my past was recently discovered while we were on land here and I will understand if any of you feel like you would no longer want to be a part of my crew after as I know some of you had rather unpleasant experiences in the past… but I discovered that I am partially descended from mermaid lineage. Meaning I am part merman.”

A silence fell over the crew, several members anxiously whispering between themselves while shooting nervous glares at Hongjoong. The majority of the crew didn’t seem to know what to make of this sudden announcement.

“I know it sounds quite ridiculous but I assure you it is not some sort of joke and is one hundred percent true. I apologize if this changes your views of me in any way. I am still physically human and nothing will change that but I promise I will work harder to be an even better Captain from this point forward. I would also like to appoint Wooyoung as acting captain should there ever be a reason for me to take an extended leave.”

Hongjoong’s eyes fell upon Seonghwa, standing off to the side of the crowd, looking to him for reassurance. Seonghwa returned his gaze with a devastatingly fond expression that caused Hongjoong’s stomach to immediately tie itself in knots and he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“So, that being said, all those who still wish to be part of the crew we will leave port at sunrise in three days and I will meet you all back here for final boarding. For those that wish to part ways with the crew, I thank you for your service and for all the journeys we shared together.”

Once Hongjoong was finished and had stepped down from the small crate he had been standing on, he was immediately swarmed by the crew members, many congratulating him on the new job, others wanting to know more about this strange new merman side of him and he happily tried his best to answer all his questions as best he could as Seonghwa watched from a distance. 

Despite all he had been through in the past couple of months, Hongjoong was still completely in his element when he was with his crew. It was evident that they were all fiercely loyal to him even after dropping the news of his supernatural bloodline and now that he was no longer plagued with night terrors, it appears as if there was almost nothing left to hold him back from reaching his full potential. Seonghwa couldn’t help but to feel proud about how much Hongjoong had grown in such a short time… and it only made the thought of not being able to be with him to experience it all even more gut-wrenching.

***

The fateful morning finally came when they were to set sail. Many of the crew went about their normal duties preparing the ship but for those who were aware of the full situation it felt quite bittersweet. While many happily boarded, Seonghwa’s feet suddenly felt like they were made of lead, forcing him to strain against every step. 

“Seonghwa!” Mingi called happily as he spotted him boarding the ship. “I didn’t know you’d be joining us again?”

“Ah Mingi, unfortunately that is not the case.” Seonghwa replied with a forced smile. “I am only stowing away for a short while before you will be carrying on without me. Hongjoong offered me a small favour.”

“Oh… I see.” Mingi replied, scrunching his nose slightly with a frown. “That’s too bad, we could have used someone like you as a permanent part of the crew.”

Seonghwa continued to give a weak smile as Mingi gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and went on his way below deck. This final trip was going to be a lot more difficult than Seonghwa had expected as he had never expected to have grown so fond of the entire crew. He cautiously made his way to the upper deck at the back of the ship in a futile attempt to avoid as many crew members as possible for as long as he could. As he leaned against the rail, he watched the mainland slowly slip away knowing his time on land was finally coming to an end.

After a couple hours of smooth sailing the small island became visible off the port side of the ship and Hongjoong instructed them to get as close as they could so they could drop anchor just off the coast for a short while as they dropped off Seonghwa. Many of the crew seemed mildly confused as to why Seonghwa would pick such a remote island to travel to but they figured it best not to ask questions as Seonghwa always had been a sort of mysterious person.

A small rowboat carrying Seonghwa, San, Hongjoong, Yeosang, Wooyoung and a very reluctant Jongho was dispatched to the island and they quickly made their way towards the sand beach.

“Why am I needed? I don’t quite understand what’s going on.” Jongho grumbled as he clung tightly to his bag of maps.

Yeosang let out an exasperated sigh. “Those were part of the instructions I was given. That we would need mapping supplies.” He explained as he pulled out the small piece of paper from the sea witch out of his pocket.

When they reached the beach Wooyoung volunteered to stay with the boat while the others headed to the interior lagoon.

“Hey Seonghwa...” Wooyoung said in an unusually quiet voice, gently pulling Seonghwa off to the side while the others discussed their game plan on how best to reach the lagoon. “Once again I’m real sorry for being such an insufferable jerk to you… but I promise I will take good care of San.”

“I have no doubt that you will be a perfect match for him.” Seonghwa said quietly with a small smile.

“Well… uh, I’m not real good with goodbyes so… good luck.” Wooyoung muttered, averting eye contact.

“Thank you.” Seonghwa replied in a gentle tone.

Seonghwa took a deep breath before turning to join the others as they ventured towards the small jungle path. The closer they got to the lagoon, the faster Seonghwa’s heart had begun to beat. He had become so stuck in his own head that he had not even noticed how tightly he had clung to Hongjoong’s arm in the process. But Hongjoong did not complain, he merely guided Seonghwa safely along until they had reached the interior beach of the lagoon.

“Alright so… I’m supposed to summon that sea witch but I honestly have never done this before so everyone might want to stay a ways away.” Yeosang said as he read over the note for the hundredth time, walking several paces away from the others.

“I have faith in you, Yeosang!” Hongjoong reassured him. “You can do this!”

Yeosang gave his neck a bit of a crick while rolling his shoulders and attempted to mentally prepare himself to finally perform some non-healing magic without the help of any sort of circle or other catalyst. Yeosang could feel his own heart beating nervously and it did not help to calm his nerves that everyone was watching him so intently with so much riding on him being able to succeed in this spell. He quickly spun around so his back was facing the others before he began reciting the incantation the witch had given him. By the time he had read it through for the third time there was a blindingly bright flash from behind him and he stumbled forward onto the sand, clambering away from whatever had just appeared.

The others had simultaneously shielded their eyes from the bright light but when they looked once more, there standing in front of them was the sea witch who seemed completely unphased by the whole experience as if they had merely forgotten their train of thought momentarily as they looked at their surroundings. Contrastingly, Jongho was completely shocked and speechless, having gone into a mild panic as this was the first time he had ever witnessed any sort of remarkable magic use. He had also unintentionally taken a deathly tight grip on San’s arm as San cringed in pain, desperately trying to wriggle free.

“Ah it appears today is the day and this is the place you have chosen.” The sea witch said in an aloof manner.

“Yes.” Seonghwa replied. “This is where I’ve decided to stay.”

“It looks surprisingly inhabitable.” The witch replied with a small laugh. “I’m honestly  _ quite _ surprised. Here I feared you were going to foolishly throw yourself into a tiny pond or river somewhere on the mainland. But you really seemed to make the best of an unfortunate situation.”

The witch casually walked over to Yeosang who was still splayed on the sand and extended their hand towards him. Yeosang hesitated a little before taking hold of their hand and allowing the witch to help him back to his feet.

“It appears your hands have become so much more steady.” The witch said in a kind tone.

“Oh, uh, I honestly hadn’t noticed.” Yeosang said as he looked over his hands in mild disbelief having been so used to his own hand tremors.

“Now, let’s not dally any longer and get to work on securing the island for our dear Seonghwa, shall we?” The witch said with a pleased hum.

“But you really expect me to be able to use such high caliber magic?” Yeosang looked at the sea witch in disbelief while brandishing the note once more. “I’m not even a registered magic user, I mean, I’ve never had reason to be in the past, but I don’t even know if I’m capable of something like this!”

“Do not worry, you do not need a license when you have the blessing of a god to perform it.” The sea witch laughed. “In fact, the next time you make port in these parts I would love to be able to take you on as an apprentice. Of course I would never want to take you away from your crew but for however long you stay on land, I can help you hone your healing abilities as I, myself, am most proficient in healing magic.”

Yeosang was speechless for a couple seconds, merely opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

“B-but why are you doing all this for me?” Yeosang asked. “What have I done to deserve this?”

The sea witch gave another laugh as they reached out and gently ran their fingers over the faint markings where Yeosang’s prominent birthmarks had once been. Yeosang immediately flinched away from their touch out of instinct.

“Because like I said before, you have sacrificed so much for those around you, strangers and acquaintances alike and I find that quite a noble quality in a human. I believe you can truly do a lot of good with your newfound powers.”

“Just take it!” Hongjoong yelled from across the beach.

The witch extended their hand to shake on the deal. Yeosang nervously looked between Hongjoong and the sea witch before giving a confident nod.

“Alright. I’ll do it.” Yeosang replied, taking a firm hold of the sea witch’s hand.

“I’ll eagerly anticipate your return.” The sea witch said with a warm smile. “Now, time for your first lesson.”

The sea witch quickly went over what would be required of Yeosang for a cloaking spell to work before requesting a compass and a map from Jongho that included the location of the small island they were currently located on. Spreading the map out on the sand, the witch instructed Yeosang to place the compass over the island.

“Now, I’m going to need a keeper for the compass.” The witch said, pointing at Hongjoong and beckoning him over to them. “Hongjoong, place your hand atop the compass and Yeosang you place your hands on top of his, focusing your energy on revealing the island’s location below.”

Hongjoong knelt down in front of the map and did as he was told, Yeosang placing his hands on top of Hongjoong’s while closing his eyes and focusing his energy on the map.

“Good. Now just keep focus. This should only take a moment, I will take care of the rest.” The witch continued.

They gave their fingers a bit of a playful wiggle before beginning the spell, muttering an incantation under their breath. Several grains of sand began to glow a brilliant gold colour at their feet before being lifted into the air and rapidly swirling around them. At the same time, a faint golden glow began to emit from the compass. Yeosang kept his eyes tightly closed, furrowing his brows as he tried to block out all outside distractions but Hongjoong was amazed at the dazzling light from the flowing sand in front of him. More and more grains of sand went swirling into the air until it was if an entire cosmos was encircling the witch. Even Seonghwa and San were completely entranced by the spectacle.

As the spell came to its peak the glowing grains of sand scattered, shooting to every corner of the island, creating a warm, glowing perimeter of the island in the sand. As the glow faded out the witch let out a pleased sigh.

“There, all done.” They said confidently.

Yeosang slowly opened his eyes as Hongjoong picked up the small compass, gently cradling it in his palms. When Yeosang’s eyes fell upon the map he couldn’t believe what he saw. Or more like what he didn’t see.

“The island, it’s gone!” Yeosang gasped, running his fingers over the map where the island had once been prominently marked.

“The island will no longer be visible to humans and will not appear on any of their maps. The only way a human would be able to find this island is with that compass now in Hongjoong’s possession so be sure never to lose it.” The witch explained.

Hongjoong clutched the compass tightly against his chest. “I will never let it out of my sight.”

“Good, good.” The witch beamed brightly. “Well, now that my work here is done, I shall be taking my leave.”

“Thank you, for everything you’ve done.” Seonghwa said quietly.

“I wish you the best of luck. I only wish I could have done more, my sweet boy.” The witch said fondly before disappearing into thin air with their usual dramatic flourish.

Once the witch was gone, the final reality of the situation hit Seonghwa with the force of a cannonball as he turned to look out over the lagoon, a lump forming in his throat as he anxiously clenched his fists at his side.

“You should be leaving soon.” Seonghwa stated quietly to no one in particular. “I will make sure the weather is favourable for you for as long as I can.”

Jongho was quick to fold up the map and tuck it under his arm.

“He’s right, we should get going before it gets too late.” Jongho said in an attempt to make any sort of excuse to give the others some time alone. “See ya around Seonghwa!”

Jongho gave a small wave before disappearing into the jungle that led to the other side of the island where the ship was anchored and where Wooyoung was waiting.

“I-I should, uh, probably head back with him.” Yeosang stuttered out as he could feel the atmosphere of the beach begin to change.

Before Yeosang could take a single step back towards the jungle, Seonghwa had wrapped him in a tight hug once more, throwing him completely off guard.

“This really isn’t necessary!” He squeaked out.

“You literally saved my life.” Seonghwa replied in a quiet voice. “I wish there was some other way I could repay your kindness.”

“Well, I have my sight back so that’s all that really matters.” Yeosang said with a nervous laugh as he wiggled free of Seonghwa’s grasp. “And I guess I have to thank you for bringing me along to see the witch since that’s the only reason I have full powers for the first time in my life.”

“The witch may be a bit of an eccentric but they are a wonderful teacher, I’m sure you will excel in becoming a great healer.” Seonghwa said, his eyes becoming glassy as his emotions began to overcome him.

Yeosang hesitated once more, looking between Seonghwa and the sand at his feet before taking a step closer and initiating a hug himself.

“Goodbye Seonghwa.” Yeosang said quietly, his voice catching ever so slightly.

“Goodbye Yeosang.” Seonghwa whispered in reply as Yeosang pulled away.

Yeosang turned and headed towards the jungle path, disappearing from sight.

“Are you really sure this is what you want?” San said in a small voice as he slowly approached Seonghwa, his head ducked low so that his fringe hid any emotions that may be warring on his face.

Seonghwa gently lifted San’s chin with the tip of his finger so he could look him in the eyes one last time and gave a nod, his lips curling into a bittersweet smile as he did so.

“Thank you for staying beside me all these years, San. I’ll truly miss you.” Seonghwa said as he pulled San in one last crushing hug before pulling back and planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I promise I’ll come back and visit!” San replied with a small laugh, rubbing his eyes aggressively with his shirt sleeve. “Even if I have to swim back here myself!”

Seonghwa smiled warmly while giving San’s hair one last playful ruffle before sending him off to where the others were waiting. 

And that left one. 

Hongjoong now stood alone on the shore.

“I guess this is it.” Hongjoong muttered, looking down at the sand at his feet.

“I guess it is…” Seonghwa replied quietly.

Seonghwa got to work untying his boots in an attempt to pull his thoughts away from the present, carefully kicking them off before he started peeling away each layer of his outer clothing.

“It should only take a moment or two for me to shift…” Seonghwa’s thought trailed off as he struggled with a stubborn button but Hongjoong nodded in affirmation anyways.

After Seonghwa had removed the remainder of his clothing he slowly waded into the water until it was up to his waist, picking up his cracked pendant in his hand as it pulsed weakly. He gave one last look over his shoulder at Hongjoong waiting on the shore, swallowing thickly as he made to dunk himself below the surface.

“Seonghwa, wait!” Hongjoong shouted, suddenly bolting into the shallows of the lagoon. Seonghwa startled, letting go of the crystal and wading slightly closer, as though it even mattered. Hongjoong was already soaked—clothes and all—as he awkwardly fought against the water to get to him.

“Hongjoong—”

“I can’t.” The other cut him off as they finally met, Hongjoong pulling him in and holding him close against his chest. It was a protest, both of them knew, but any further ones died on Seonghwa’s tongue. “I can’t say goodbye like this. I can’t just leave you.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Seonghwa replied softly, his expression regretful. “I cannot remain in human form, and you cannot remain here. This is the way things must be.”

Hongjoong grunted in protest, an almost petulant sound. “Maybe we could… there has to be some other way—”

“Hongjoong…” Seonghwa murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “There  _ is _ no other way.”

“Just—” Hongjoong whined, something desperate in his words, like a plea. “Don’t… don’t go just yet. Stay with me, for a little while longer. Please.”

It already ached through every fibre of Seonghwa’s being to walk away from him. How could he deny him just another few moments longer?

Seonghwa nodded, resigned, and Hongjoong surged up, dragging him in until their lips met.

Hongjoong’s kiss was slow and deliberate as if he was savoring the taste of his lips, lingering between every breath, trying to make every moment last as long as possible.

The moment Seonghwa even gave the slightest inclination of pulling away, Hongjoong let out a needy whine, still nipping at his lower lip.

“Please, please just… a little while longer…” Hongjoong begged, and Seonghwa was powerless to refuse him.

“I’m still here.” Seonghwa soothed, voice barely more than a whisper as he pressed his lips against Hongjoong’s again and again.

Seonghwa’s hands stayed anchored in Hongjoong’s hair but Hongjoong’s roamed, as though mapping out every part of him, lest he ever try to forget. His palm slid down along Seonghwa’s thigh, tugging, and Seonghwa went, easy as anything, wrapping his legs around Hongjoong’s waist. He weighed almost nothing beneath the water and so Hongjoong took the burden easily, his arms snaking around Seonghwa’s hips to hold him there.

Hongjoong’s hands slipped lower as Seonghwa shifted against him, the latter trilling as a spike of want surged through the both of them. It was impossible to tell just who it had come from… but that hardly mattered.

“Hongjoong… touch me, please.”

His captain grunted in slight protest, reason breaking through his clouded senses. “We don’t have… it’s too—”

“Shh, you can’t hurt me.” Seonghwa assured, kissing him again.

“Seonghwa…”

“Hongjoong, please…” Seonghwa murmured, pressing their foreheads together. “Do not make me say goodbye without ever knowing how it feels to be loved by you.”

Like waves against the rocky shore, Hongjoong broke.

And like a gentle tide along a familiar coast, they rocked together in tandem, Seonghwa cradled protectively in his arms.

***

Hongjoong sat precariously on the rickety wooden dock, sopping wet as he began to wring out the water from his clothes the best he could. His damp hair kept hanging in his face and every few seconds he would have to stop what he was doing to frustratedly slick it back once more. 

It wasn’t long before the surface of the lagoon began to ripple and Hongjoong quickly clambered towards the end of the dock, pressing himself flat on his stomach as he peered over the edge.

Seonghwa slowly broke through the surface, having shifted back to his merman form for the last time. Despite how many times Hongjoong had seen Seonghwa in his merman form, it still took his breath away every time he laid eyes upon him. He couldn’t help a fond smile from spreading across his face as his eyes trailed over Seonghwa’s distinctive black scales...

“Wait! Your scales!” Hongjoong blurted out, remembering the grey scales that had previously covered Seonghwa’s body in a distinctive spattering.

Seonghwa quietly swam closer to the dock and gave a graceful twirl in the crystal clear waters. From Hongjoong’s perch on the dock he could see that the number of grey scales had drastically decreased in number. While there had been dozens before, the number had dwindled down to only a small cluster near Seonghwa’s tail fin.

“They’re receding…” Hongjoong breathed in a massive sigh of relief.

“The sea witch’s spell actually worked.” Seonghwa replied quietly. “Thank you Hongjoong, you saved me.”

“I guess we’re even now.” Hongjoong gave a playful scoff.

“I guess we are.” Seonghwa playfully replied.

Steadying himself in the water below the dock’s edge, Seonghwa reached up and carefully removed the pendant necklace from around his neck, the purple glow slowly fading as the crystal sat in his palm.

“I want you to have this.” Seonghwa said quietly, taking hold of Hongjoong’s hand and carefully placing the pendant in it, tightly closing his fingers around it.

“But—”

Seonghwa quickly silenced him, shaking his head solemnly.

“You  _ know _ I cannot shift again. I do not want to risk either of our lives over any sort of temptation. You keep this.” Seonghwa urged. “Use it as a token to remember me while you’re out at sea.”

“Seonghwa…” Hongjoong forlornly looked between the pendant in his hand and Seonghwa’s pleading expression.

“Hongjoong! Anchor’s up! We gotta go!” Wooyoung called, having appeared at the mouth of the jungle path.

Hongjoong looked back at Wooyoung and gave a frustrated sigh before turning back to Seonghwa as he hastily put the chain from the pendant around his own neck.

“I promise we will return in a couple months.” Hongjoong said confidently, reaching down and giving Seonghwa’s cheek a gentle rub. “Just wait for me.”

“I will wait for as long as it takes.” Seonghwa whispered in reply, giving a weak smile as he tried his best to hold back his tears.

Hongjoong leaned down, giving him one last kiss, breathing in that familiar sea salt smell before slowly pulling away. His fingers once tightly intertwined with Seonghwa’s, slowly slid out of his grasp. As he got back to his feet and walked back to the shore, water could be heard splashing nearby and his heart leapt in his chest at the sound. He quickly whipped back around but when he looked back over the lagoon Seonghwa was already gone, only a small ripple still lingered on the surface. 

Hongjoong gave another small sigh before breaking into a light jog to meet Wooyoung at the treeline. They made their way back to the small row boat perched on the shore, the others eagerly awaiting their return while giving Hongjoong curious looks over his sopping wet clothes. San almost immediately noticed the pendant that now hung from Hongjoong’s neck and sadly looked away, turning his attention solely on Wooyoung.

The short journey back to the ship was unnaturally silent and Hongjoong spent the majority of the time just idly turning over the small compass in his hands. Every time he opened it, the needle always pointed back towards the island.

Once they reached the ship, instead of cowardly retreating below deck like he had become so accustomed to doing every time they set sail, Hongjoong made his way to the upper deck at the stern of the ship. Normally his mind would have been swimming with negative thoughts as every one of his muscles protested in fear and every fiber of his being urged him to head back below deck to safety but this time he just kept walking with a newfound confidence until he was firmly pressed up against the back rail of the ship. For once the sight of the vast open sea did not instill fear in him. For once the subtle rocking from the waves below gave him peace of mind.

Idly fiddling with the cracked pendant, it began to give off a soft purple glow while resting in the palm of his hand. Hongjoong could feel the winds begin to pick up, swirling gently around him as the sails began to billow, pulling taught against the rigging. 

Seonghwa. 

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the salty hint of the warm sea breeze once more as it ruffled through his hair. If he concentrated hard enough it was almost as if Seonghwa was there standing beside him, wrapping his arms around him in a comforting embrace, whispering softly in his ear that there was nothing left to fear.

Hongjoong tightly clasped the small crystal around his neck as he watched the small island shrink away from him until it was a distant speck on the horizon.

_ Seonghwa… I’ll never forget you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 8 long months I can't believe it's finally over. Thank you to every single one of you who gave my first original au a chance. I truly hope it lived up to all your expectations. A short (slightly less bittersweet) epilogue will be posted in the next few days.  
> Thank you one last time to ScarlettSiren for helping add a little bit of spice at the end.


	17. Epilogue

The crew had been on a three-month long round-trip journey to the Western Pass and were finally on their way back to the Northern Islands upon Hongjoong’s request.

It had been a rather uneventful sailing day and Hongjoong was laying on the small bed in his cabin, restless and unable to sleep. Lazily looking at the rune marking on his wrist he wondered if Seonghwa was awake or if he was having trouble sleeping as well. He carefully pulled up the long gold chain around his neck, turning over the small cracked pendant in his hands. Over the past several weeks he had discovered a new albeit unusual use for the crystal and it began glowing a soft purple colour at his touch. He inhaled deeply through his nose and began to attempt to focus his mind.

_ Seonghwa? You there? _ Hongjoong thought, clutching the pendant tightly and wondering if he would be able to make a strong enough connection despite the distance between them. 

Hongjoong had unintentionally stumbled upon his ability to communicate with Seonghwa via the crystal but it was not exactly reliable as he was not always able to receive a response. However the full moon shone brightly in the sky that night and he prayed with every fibre of his being that he would be able to hear Seonghwa’s voice once more.

_ Hongjoong? Yes, I'm here... is everything alright?  _

Hongjoong immediately let out a long sigh of relief. He could hear Seonghwa’s thoughts as clearly as if he were right there in the room with him. Even though he knew Seonghwa was hundreds of kilometers away and could never take on a human form again, if he briefly closed his eyes it was like he could picture him casually walking over and sitting on the small bed beside him.

_ Yeah, I couldn’t sleep. I just miss you. _

_ I miss you as well. How long until you and the crew are back North? _

_ Not long, maybe a week or two at most. We're already on our way back from the last port of call. _

_ Ah, that’s good to hear. I eagerly await your return. How is San adjusting? I hope he hasn’t been causing too much trouble… _

_ Not any more trouble than what Wooyoung gets in on a daily basis.  _ Hongjoong had cracked a wide smile as he thought about the hijinks the two of them had gotten into at their previous destination. _ Otherwise he’s become an extremely valuable crew member. Wooyoung is very protective of him and makes sure he has somewhere safe to shift whenever we dock. Also I even managed to be able to communicate with him through this connection. It’s sometimes hard keeping my mind focused but I’m sure I’ll get better with time. _

_ I’m glad things are working out. And I’m ecstatic you’re slowly able to tap into you merman side. _

_ San absolutely hates it.  _ Hongjoong gave a bit of a laugh.

There was a long pause as Hongjoong slowly gathered his thoughts again. This whole process was extremely draining on him mentally but he didn’t want to stop talking to Seonghwa. Not just yet.

_ How are you doing though? I still feel horrible for everything, how I had to just leave you behind, you really don’t deserve this— _

_ Hongjoong please don’t blame yourself. I'm fine. Really. I'm still getting used to things here but I swear it's not all that bad. It might not be the same level of freedom as I had on land or in the sea but really it’s all I need as long as I still get to see you and the others from time to time. _

_ I promise I'll be back as soon as possible and I'll try and get the longest land leave I can. I’ll have Wooyoung take over as acting captain for a little while so that you’ll have someone to keep you company. _

_ You really don’t have to— _

_ Please, it’s the least I could do. _

By this time Wooyoung had walked into the cabin. He curiously looked over at Hongjoong and noticed him just smiling fondly at the small pendant.

"Seonghwa again?" Wooyoung muttered as he kicked off his boots, flopping down on his bed.

"Hmm? Sorry?" Hongjoong said in a bit of a stupor as he turned to face Wooyoung.

"You're staring blankly at Seonghwa's pendant not saying anything." Wooyoung said, eyeing the crystal. “You doing that weird merman mind thing?” Wooyoung gave his fingers a sarcastic wiggle.

"Oh, uh, yeah..." Hongjoong murmured in reply. "I just miss him."

"You'll get to see him soon enough." Wooyoung said with a bit of a huff. "Now, try to get some rest before  _ he _ becomes the new reason you're not sleeping."

"Fine." Hongjoong groaned with a roll of his eyes.

_ Wooyoung is telling me to get some sleep, I'll talk to you again later. _

_ Sweet dreams. _

_ Only of you. _

Hundreds of kilometers away Seonghwa calmly floated atop the cool lagoon waters, soaking in the healing rays from the moon above. The smallest hint of blush had crept onto his cheeks as he smiled happily to himself from Hongjoong’s words.

***

While the others had been gone, Seonghwa had slowly acclimatized to life in the small island lagoon. The lagoon provided him with plenty of room to swim and enough resources to easily sustain himself for years. The warm natural springs he would often bathe in or he could find respite on the rocky cove on hot days with the mist from the lagoon keeping him cool and refreshed. Additionally there were plenty of large rocks he could sun on and there was never a worry of unknown humans stumbling upon him in the daylight hours.

Occasionally the sea witch would pay Seonghwa a visit to check up on him and to make sure the cloaking enchantments were still working properly and that he was still healing. The bond between Seonghwa and Hongjoong was not at its full potential due to the extreme distance between them but by no means did that negate the spell, it only slowed it down ever so slightly. Within a couple of months the majority of Seonghwa’s scales had turned back to their natural black colour leaving only a couple grey scales remaining. 

The sea witch would also often spend a couple of hours on the small beach just talking with Seognhwa, giving him updates of the outside world, sometimes spending time fixing up the old fishing shack on the shore, or doting upon him with small presents to help ease him into his new home. It was not uncommon for the witch to bring him small stacks of books he could read or foods from the mainland that he craved like grilled squid or eel, knowing that Seonghwa’s merman metabolism could no longer handle most other ‘normal’ human food, despite how much Seonghwa might miss it.

Otherwise, life on the island was a bit of a lonely existence but the thought that Hongjoong and San and the rest of the crew would hopefully return kept the days from dragging on in monotony.

***

It had been a little over three weeks since Seonghwa had last had any contact with Hongjoong and he was starting to become more and more anxious as he knew Hongjoong should have already been back by then. He couldn’t help but think that maybe Hongjoong wasn’t coming back. Or that maybe something bad had happened.

One afternoon, Seonghwa had been casually lounging on the sandy floor of the lagoon when he suddenly felt the vibrations and heard the familiar sound of bare feet running across the small wooden dock above. He quickly, yet cautiously righted himself in the water. There was a brief pause followed by a loud splash directly in front of him. Seonghwa immediately shielded himself with his arms but as he lowered his hands, out of the rush of bubbles emerged San in his merman form.

_ Seonghwa! _ San’s face lit up as soon as he laid eyes on him.

Seonghwa’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of San and he swam as quickly as he could towards him, grabbing onto him in a tight embrace and spinning him around in the water.

_ Oh San, I missed you so much. _ Seonghwa pulled San in even tighter, pressing his face against his scaly shoulder.

_ I missed you too.  _

San gave his tail fin a bit of a playful wiggle, trying his best to squirm free of Seonghwa’s tight grasp. It took quite a bit of work before Seonghwa finally loosened his grip on him but he still held him at arm’s length, eyeing him over as if he was encountering him in his merman form for the first time. Seonghwa’s eyes fell upon something dark below San’s collarbone. Something was written on his skin.

_ Amicus ad aras? _ Seonghwa gave a puzzled expression.

_ A friend in high places! Wooyoung and I got matching tattoos just like you and Hongjoong! ...But without the magical contract side of things. _

San’s face was beaming with pride. He craned his neck downwards, pulling at the scaly skin around the tattoo. Seonghwa looked up at him with the fondest of smiles.

_ I’m so glad you were able to find so much happiness with Wooyoung so quickly. _

Seonghwa endearingly gave San’s hair a light ruffle.

_ Enough about me, there's someone else who missed you more! _

San slowly pulled away and motioned above as they heard the footsteps of a second pair of feet cautiously making their way down the dock before coming to a stop.

_ Seonghwa? _ Hongjoong’s singular thought was loud and clear in Seonghwa’s mind.

Seonghwa swam up to the surface as fast as his body would allow only to come face to face with Hongjoong, who had sat himself down on the dock, precariously leaning over the edge looking into the waters below.

"Hongjoong." Seonghwa breathed in relief, smiling brightly.

"It's been awhile." Hongjoong replied softly, his smile beaming in return, the small cracked pendant around his neck glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

Seonghwa grabbed onto the edge of the dock and lifted himself up out of the water as far as he could, pressing his scaly body between Hongjoong’s legs and winding his tail fin around them for better leverage. He quickly reached up and wrapped his arms around the back of Hongjoong’s neck while Hongjoong’s hands instinctively found their way to the small of his back, pulling him up closer as he carefully righted himself. They were at eye level gazing ardently at one another for only a fleeting moment before Hongjoong clumsily lost his balance and they went tumbling back onto the dock with a small laugh, Seonghwa falling gracefully on top of him. Struggling slightly to push himself up, Seonghwa remained at arm’s reach for several moments devouring the image of Hongjoong lying beneath him with his eyes as if they had been lovers separated for years. 

“Well, what are you waiting any longer for?” Hongjoong said with a bit of a laugh. “You gonna kiss me or not?”

Seonghwa immediately leaned down and ever-so-gently placed a soft kiss on Hongjoong’s lips. But he didn’t go any further. He hesitated. In an unexpected action he pulled away again and just looked longingly at Hongjoong as tears began to well in his eyes.

“Seonghwa what’s wrong?” Hongjoong asked, his voice catching in his throat.

It took Seonghwa a moment to find the right words for what he was thinking, not daring to let Hongjoong hear a single one of those thoughts.

“Despite how many times you assured me... a part of me honestly didn’t think you’d actually come back for me.”

“Seonghwa... I could never do that to you.” Hongjoong looked physically pained by Seonghwa’s words.

Seonghwa’s bottom lip quivered slightly but he quickly gave his head a shake and laughed it off, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of one of his hands.

“You’re right. I was foolish not to trust you.” Seonghwa replied with a small smile.

Hongjoong gently ran his hand up the base of Seonghwa’s neck before twisting his fingers into his damp hair. 

“Your hair, it’s gotten so long.” Hongjoong murmured.

Seonghwa merely hummed in agreement as he leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and reveling in every small movement. Hongjoong slowly drew him in closer until Seonghwa could smell the familiar aroma of old leather and gunpowder on his clothes, instantly flooding his mind with all the memories they had previously shared together. The moment their lips touched once more Hongjoong tightened his grip around Seonghwa’s waist, pressing himself tightly up against him and sending a rush of energy through Seonghwa’s body. Seonghwa quickly dropped all of his previous inhibitions and began to fervently return the kiss as if his very life depended on it.

_ Please stay with me forever. _

_ It doesn’t matter if I’m split between the land and the sea for the remainder of my days, as long as my heart beats I promise I will always come back for you. I will never leave you. _

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter @ ColourAndCity_ or CC @ ColourAndCity.  
> Or just yell into the void.


End file.
